Premier Giorgia Meloni announced on Wednesday that her government is prepared to make any necessary adjustments to the ‘income-meter’ (redditometro) following a decree reinstating the controversial measure.
This income-meter (redditometro) allows authorities to scrutinise individuals’ spending to verify if it aligns with their declared incomes.
The decree, signed by Deputy Economy Minister Maurizio Leo of Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, revives a measure originally introduced under former premier Matteo Renzi’s centre-left government in 2015. Government suspended the measure in 2018.
Leo says the new version of the ‘income-meter’ significantly differs from the original, as it imposes restrictions on the tax authorities’ power to challenge discrepancies between declared earnings and expenditures on items such as cars, homes, boats, and travel.
Despite these assurances, the other two parties in Meloni’s ruling coalition – Matteo Salvini’s right-wing League and Antonio Tajani’s centre-right Forza Italia – voiced dissatisfaction with the measure. Meloni stated she would discuss the issue with Leo and request him to report to the cabinet on it.
“If changes are necessary, I will be the first to ask for them,” Meloni said. “This government will never implement a ‘Big Brother’ tax regime. I have always opposed invasive income-meter mechanisms targeting ordinary people.”
While in opposition, Meloni condemned the measure, describing it as a “Big Brother tactic snooping on Italian citizens’ private lives.”
