Start of the Hearings for the Budget Law

Tomorrow, November 4, the first clapperboard on the budget law will begin, with hearings taking place at 9 in the Mappamondo room of the Chamber. Legambiente and WWF will open the hearing cycle before the Budget committees, kicking off a marathon that will continue until 21, involving dozens of associations.

An Extended Event

The event will last three days and will see the participation of local authorities, the Bank of Italy, the Parliamentary Budget Office and universities, until Thursday. The Minister of Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti, will close the cycle of hearings. However, the real challenge will be played on the amendments, with parties, unions and industrialists ready to try to obtain improvements in a maneuver with very narrow margins. The deadline for submitting amendments officially expires on November 11th, with an additional week to select the most significant proposals. It is expected that the debate will enter into full swing at the end of November on a text that will arrive in a sealed package in the Chamber for final approval.

Focus on the Amendments

The Forza Italia party is working on an amendment for a second agreement, the first one having expired on October 31st. The opposition has hundreds of amendments in the pipeline, while the requests of the center-right remain crucial. Among these:

• FORZA ITALIA: Asks to lower the second Irpef bracket from 35% to 33%, extending the relief to incomes up to 60 thousand euros. It also opposes the web tax that penalizes start-ups and small businesses.
• LEGA: Underlines the importance of the flat tax for self-employed workers with an income of up to 100 thousand euros, contesting the increase in the rate on capital gains from cryptocurrencies from 26% to 42%.
• BROTHERS OF ITALY: They aim to cut personal income tax and facilitate investments through supplementary pensions.

The Unions' Demands

The PD and the M5S focus on some key issues, denouncing the cuts in the health sector and united in the attempt to safeguard the automotive fund, reduced by 4.5 billion euros. Furthermore:

• CONFINDUSTRIA requests incentives for technological transition.
• CGIL and UIL oppose the tax agreement and ask for more funds for healthcare and schools.
• CISL, although not participating in the strike, is calling for a discussion on pension reform and more resources for public contracts. These dynamics highlight the complexity of the ongoing legislative process and the intense activity of the various actors involved.