115 of the 200 parliamentarians present voted for them.
(Photo: IMAGO/Independent Photo Agency Int.)
Rome The new Italian government under Giorgia Meloni has also received a vote of confidence in the second chamber of parliament in Rome. In a vote in the Senate on Wednesday, the Prime Minister and her cabinet received the necessary absolute majority, after the House of Representatives had voted in favor of the new legal alliance in the executive the day before. In the smaller Senate, 115 of the 200 MPs present voted for Meloni, who was the first female head of government to take office over the weekend.
Success was practically certain for the 45-year-old, as her coalition holds an absolute majority in both chambers. In the House of Representatives, 235 of the 389 present voted for Meloni on Tuesday.
In her first programmatic speech, Meloni had previously given an outlook on the goals of the coalition led by the far-right Fratelli d’Italia. She committed herself to Europe and Italy’s anchoring in international alliances, but at the same time announced proposals for modifying some rules – such as the Growth and Stability Pact. She wants to take strict action against migrants. In addition, families and companies should be relieved in the energy crisis – she did not give any details.
In the Senate on Wednesday she underlined that she would continue to support Ukraine. Peace talks can only take place if Kyiv does not defeat Russia as an aggressor in the fight, she said. Italy will continue to stand firmly by Ukraine, otherwise international trust and credibility with partners would be lost, which could harm Rome greatly.
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Ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, whose remarks about his friend Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, recently caused a stir and fueled fears about a rapprochement with Russia, said in his first Senate speech in nine years that Italy was firmly at his side Kiev’s stand.
Criticism of Meloni’s plan for higher cash payments – “Gift for the Mafia”
Meloni wants to raise the maximum limit for cash payments. In doing so, she will keep one of her election promises, she said on Wednesday in Rome. Meloni’s coalition partner Lega, led by Matteo Salvini, had previously presented a bill raising the limit from the current €2,000 to €10,000. Originally, the maximum limit was to be reduced to 1000 euros in 2023.
Limiting cash payments is intended to make tax evasion more difficult. According to the Italian Ministry of Finance, around 18.5 percent of all taxes were withheld from the state in 2019. As a result, more than 100 billion euros are missing from the budget every year.
Franco Mirabelli of the opposition Democratic Party described the government’s plans as a gift for the mafia. “It encourages tax evasion and money laundering,” he wrote on Facebook. Meloni denied any connection. With regard to Germany, she added: “There are countries without maximum limits and with very little tax evasion.”
According to a study by the Bank of Italy, however, the increase in the maximum limit from 1,000 to 3,000 euros in 2016 gave the informal economy a boost. The measure was actually intended to boost consumption.
Similar to Germany, cash transactions have always been popular in Italy. Card and mobile phone payments only gained acceptance during the virus pandemic. The compulsion to do this is unpopular in many circles. Opponents see this as a restriction of their freedom and cite data protection concerns.
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