With 108 “yes” and 63 “no”, the Senate gave the final “green light” to the state budget, with which Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni aspires to tame the deficit. As was done in the Parliament, before Christmas, the Meloni government decided to link the “free” in the budget with a vote of confidence. In this way, the hundreds of accumulated amendments that had been tabled were not discussed and voted on. The opposition, of course, protested, stressing that the weight and importance of the role of Parliament was ignored. This is a state budget totaling thirty billion euros.

The prime minister and leader of the “Brothers of Italy” party celebrates and underlines that “small and medium-sized citizens are supported, families with small children are supported, unprecedented funds are approved for public health and the tax pressure is reduced.”

Heavy tax burden

The opposition and the unions, however, are not of the same opinion. The Center-Left complains that, in reality, resources for public health have not increased and more and more hospitals in the country are understaffed due to lack of staff, especially in emergencies. And the latest figures from the OECD show that the tax burden in Italy corresponds to 42.7% of the produced wealth, while the average in the European Union is 40.1%.

For the first time, however, a measure was approved which prohibits Italian MPs and senators from obtaining parallel income from professional activity abroad. Former prime minister Matteo Renzi said the Meloni government wanted to hit him personally “with a Soviet-style initiative” because he attended many conferences and lectures and was assigned “consultative activities” outside national borders.

Is the rivalry with Salvini rekindling?

In the meantime, many believe that despite her position of power, the Italian prime minister will be forced to undergo a reshuffle in the new year. After his acquittal in the trial in Palermo, in which he faced the charge of deprivation of individual liberty to immigrants, Matteo Salvini, presents new claims. According to most analysts, he would like to change his ministry and from that of Transport and Infrastructure to return to the Interior.

His goal is to be able to deal again, as his main occupation, with immigration and refugees. Asked about it, Salvini himself did not deny it and answered, laconically: “We’ll see, I’ll discuss it with Meloni.” It seems to be only a matter of time…