Rome \u2013 If the Budget Bill were an orchestra, Antonio Tajani assures us that no one is out of tune: \u201cIt\u2019s a harmonious process; there are no conflicting approaches \u2013 we\u2019ve managed to accommodate everyone\u2019s requests. And there\u2019s a clear vision.\u201d The Minister of Foreign Affairs therefore sees no reason to bring the elections forward: \u201cItalians can sleep soundly. And so can the opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aren\u2019t you a bit disappointed that the IRPEF cut is smaller than expected?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEverything Forza Italia asked for has been delivered: personal income tax (IRPEF), tax exemptions for young people up to the age of 30, a card for the elderly, vehicle tax relief, and support for businesses. Of course, we had asked for the personal income tax rate to be set at 33% for incomes up to EUR 60,000: we\u2019ll do that in the next Budget Bill; we know the budget is tight. In any case, there is EUR 1.6 billion set aside for personal income tax, and the flat tax threshold rises from EUR 85,000 to 100,000. The important thing is that the Budget revolves around four pillars: the middle class, young people, the elderly and businesses. All in a way that is compatible with the budget.\u201d<\/p>\n What are you most pleased with?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say. The flat-rate tax of 1% for those who let to young people, the bonus for those attending non-state schools, parental leave allowance extended by one month for each additional child, and the EUR 100 annual INPS bonus up to the age of 18, which serves as the first savings pot for those just coming into the world. All these measures point in the direction of a liberal policy.\u201d<\/p>\n It is not entirely clear what is included in the defence package.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a comprehensive package worth just over EUR 4 billion; Crosetto will have to finalise the details with Giorgetti in the coming days. But what I like most of all is having our finances in order: it helps businesses operating abroad, projects a positive image of Italy and encourages investment in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n However, no agreement has been reached with the banks. Are you disappointed?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe had asked that cooperative credit banks and local banks be left untouched, and that their profits not be taxed. But the contribution also demanded of the major energy operators has made the whole thing fairer. I am against the tax on windfall profits, but it is right that those with significant profits should contribute more. Meanwhile, we have protected the banking foundations. They will contribute very little because they support the third sector.\u201d<\/p>\n The banks are not happy.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe agreement was for three years, I realise that, but we aren\u2019t responsible for everything that\u2019s happened in the world. Eventually, there will be a return for them as well. I really do hope they understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Antonio Di Pietro wants to join the High Council of the Judiciary. Are you never going to vote for him?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot vote for him: we do not agree with what he has done, and he has clearly demonstrated a vision of justice that is at odds with our own.\u201d<\/p>\n Would Berlusconi have voted for him?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to drag the president into this, but we certainly won\u2019t be voting for him. Let\u2019s be clear: it\u2019s not a personal matter \u2013 it\u2019s his track record.\u201d<\/p>\n At the conference, Salvini said: \u2018No more aid for Ukraine.\u2019 How will you convince him otherwise?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cA legitimate position, but the majority in the government sees things differently. Today, for example, a state of emergency was declared for Ukraine. Not least because it\u2019s not just about weapons; there\u2019s the humanitarian aspect, and the cold weather has already set in\u2026 We\u2019re putting the package together. Personally, I hope that Putin and Zelensky will talk to one another and that the EU will finally choose its representative.\u201d<\/p>\n Following Youssef Siher\u2019s release, centre-right leaders have lashed out at the preliminary investigation judge in Milan. Isn\u2019t this just the never-ending cycle of politics and the judiciary undermining each other\u2019s legitimacy?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHere, however, the work of the intelligence services and the police is being undermined and rendered meaningless. I\u2019ve heard it said that the intention was not to provoke what happened. But there were problems \u2013 and serious ones at that. In any case, we are all free to make up our own minds; it\u2019s not as if we\u2019ve said the verdict shouldn\u2019t be respected. If he was the mastermind behind the unrest, a negative message has been sent.\u201d<\/p>\n And what if it wasn\u2019t?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAs usual, people are questioning what the police are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n So, all is well with the government: are you ruling out a snap election?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFor goodness\u2019 sake, it will carry on until the end of the parliamentary term. Italians can rest easy, and so can the opposition: it\u2019s a pledge made to the voters.\u201d<\/p>\n So why are we still talking about elections?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve never discussed it; we\u2019re working hard on it, including at an international level. And Salvini agrees with me too.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel has just held an election, but the situation remains complicated. Are you worried?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is important that a government is formed: we hope that it will finally set out on the path to peace. And, of course, the violence perpetrated by the settlers must be stopped. As for Iran, we have always hoped that the solution would be diplomatic, never military.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bolsonaros who fled Brazil hold Italian passports. Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cAs for the ius sanguinis<\/em>: we issued passports to those citizens who were entitled to them. I was the one who changed the law\u2014drawing plenty of abuse upon myself\u2014because many people were making money out of citizenship. After all, even Lula\u2019s wife, who has since passed away, held an Italian passport.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rome \u2013 If the Budget Bill were an orchestra, Antonio Tajani assures us that no one is out of tune: \u201cIt\u2019s a harmonious process; there are no conflicting approaches \u2013 we\u2019ve managed to accommodate everyone\u2019s requests. And there\u2019s a clear vision.\u201d The Minister of Foreign Affairs therefore sees no reason to bring the elections forward: […]","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":210441,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-210584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviste","tag-ministro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210584"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210584\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":210587,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210584\/revisions\/210587"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}