Italy sends disputed budget to Brussels

Italy's cabinet gave the green light to the country's 2019 budget plans on Monday evening, sending off its financial framework to Brussels after the Senate approved the new budget law last week.

The fiscal plan has already triggered a dispute with EU officials and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The EU Commission is now set to review it, and possibly demand a rewrite from the Italian government.

In comments to the Italian press on Tuesday, EC President Jean-Claude Juncker said "Without Italy, Europe would not be the same. Europe needs Italy and Italy needs Europe."

Work longer, retire earlier

Rome wants to add €37 billion ($42.9 billion) of new spending. In order to achieve that goal, the government would increase the deficit from the last government's projection of 0.8 percent in 2019 to 2.4 of GDP. It would also increase tax burdens, including some taxes on the banks.

The budget would provide a basic monthly income of up to €780 for pensioners and the poorest among unemployed citizens, cut taxes for the self-employed and enable schemes that would allow people to settle certain amounts of tax debt.

It would also lower the retirement age to have citizens retire when the sum of their age and years of work add up to 100. Under the new scheme, an employee who had worked for 40 years would be able to retire at 60.

Read more: Italy and the EU clash over budget plan

Keeping the house 'in order'

Many of the financial pledges hark back to campaign promises made by the governing Five Star Movement (M5S) and the anti-immigrant League party. The parties argue that public spending would result in new investments and grow the Italian economy.

"This budget keeps the government's promises while keeping public accounts in order," Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told reporters on Monday evening.

Heading for a showdown

The EU and the IMF are worried about increases in Italy's debt, which is already at 132 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) — only Greece at 182 percent and Japan at 236 percent are higher among comparable economies. Brussels has sought to bring down the deficit for Italy, Greece, and other highly indebted countries through austerity. The EU Commission believes that Rome needs to meet a series of terms before it could risk boosting its debt level.

Read more: Italian deputy minister says Italy is not next Greece

After receiving the fiscal plan, the EU Commission has two weeks to raise its objections if the document violates the EU rules. Since 2013, the EU body has had the power to dismiss a budget proposal and ask member states to draw up a new one. That power has not yet been used.

The League and the M5S have already pledged not to move from their fiscal goals.

dj/amp (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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