The tax bill devised by Schlein and Landini gives even party comrades and possible allies the hives. After Conte distanced himself, the dem De Luca jr. he denies that the idea is shared. Ruffini (former head of the Revenue Agency) and Cottarelli are also skeptical.
«Let’s continue like this: let’s do harm to ourselves», said Nanni Moretti, and it is no coincidence that evil rhymes with patrimonial. The incredible umpteenth political and communicative own goal of the left now by Maurizio Landini is in fact the relaunch of the idea of a tax on Italians’ assets. The richest, of course, but also those who have already paid taxes and have paid them more than others.
Needless to say, Landini’s proposal also receives criticism from the opposition and even from the Democratic Party there are denials: «The Democratic Party», underlines Piero De Luca, regional secretary of Campania, to Rete4, «has not presented any capital proposal. The only patrimonial one so far has been put by the Meloni government which for three years has been taxing and harassing Italians with the tax pressure at record levels for 10 years now”. The person who sided from the first moment against the hypothesis of a patrimonial one is the leader of the M5s, Giuseppe Conte: «I would like to send a message directly to Meloni», argues Conte, «who wanted to make a post: resign yourself, I don’t know if there is a discussion on the left about the patrimonial system, but as far as we are concerned, we are an independent progressive force, a patrimonial one is not on the agenda». Five-star senator Alessandra Maiorino comes to make matters worse: «Giorgia Meloni», underlines Maiorino, «has reserved three years of taxes for citizens, with a record tax burden. This is the real asset about Italians. Meanwhile they don’t touch the extra profits and meanwhile citizens wait months for a health service and are no longer even able to do the shopping. These would be the priorities for a respectable maneuver.”
To Corriere della Sera, the economist Carlo Cottarelli entrusts his opposition to assets: «Wealth», explains Cottarelli, «is the result of savings, which is the result of an income that has already been taxed once. The same income would therefore be taxed twice. In an extreme emergency situation, nothing can be ruled out, but Italy is not in a deep crisis.”
Even the former tax mister, or rather the former Director of the Revenue Agency, Ernesto Maria Ruffini, is very sceptical: «The extraordinary contributions», Ruffini replies to the Press, «are property taxes and the important thing is that they are not excuses for not evaluating the tax system as a whole, which is much more important. We have middle class incomes, from 50,000 euros, hit with the same rate as millionaire incomes. Does it still make sense to define it as a progressive system?”.
He is unable to hold back his bitterness for the political and communicative error Matteo Renzi: «Hearing Landini talk about assets», says Renzi on Un giorno da pecora, on Rai radio Uno, «makes my legs fall: Giorgia Meloni increases taxes, he says “let’s increase them more” and thus makes the prime minister appear like a statesman. Leave Landini’s assets aside for once. If the left, instead of waging a battle against Meloni who has brought the tax burden to 42.8%”, adds Renzi in his e-news, “allows her to be an anti-tax heroine because she says no to the patrimonial tax, it is a gigantic own goal. Our president has increased the tax burden and yet for a week she has been accused of “cutting taxes on the rich”. It’s madness. First of all, why didn’t he do it? But above all because that group that is considered rich, those with a salary of more than 2,000 euros, was nevertheless punished with an intervention on deductions for which even the possible Irpef advantage was structurally canceled by the cancellation of deductions in 2025. The truth”, adds a bitter Renzi, who sees his broad camp sinking in the quicksand of counterproductive proposals, “is that the debate of these hours is lunar because it is obvious that if you affect the rates Irpef also benefits those who earn more than 50,000 euros. As happened with the Draghi Government (the case of the 80 euros was deliberately different, by my choice). The left should press Meloni on the fact that in daily life bills, mortgages, diesel and food are increasing. There are five million Italians who ask for interventions for them, not against others. And instead those who dream of Landini as leader of the left talk about assets. Let’s be clear: the issue of inequalities is very important but must be addressed in a political and non-ideological way. But the objective must be to tax the middle class less, not to tax more at random. There is a left that has been saying for years: even the rich cry. And it doesn’t understand that the objective of the left should be to make the poor laugh, not to make others cry.”
