Italian Prime Minister: "No Tax Increase... Must Achieve Sustainable Growth"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Mario Draghi, the Prime Minister of Italy, stated the government's position that it will not raise taxes.

On the 23rd (local time), Prime Minister Draghi attended the general meeting of the Italian Employers' Federation (Confindustria) as a speaker and made this statement, according to public broadcaster RAI News. Draghi said, "I want to reaffirm that the government has no intention of raising taxes," emphasizing, "Now is not the time to pull in money, but to release it."

As the economy, which suffered a recession due to frequent shutdowns amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic last year, is rebounding this year, the aim is to achieve sustainable growth.

Draghi said, "The government's forecast for Italy's economic growth rate this year, to be released in a few days, is about 6%, higher than the 4.5% forecast made last spring. This is a rebound following last year's -8.9% growth rate, which was the worst recession in Europe," adding, "The challenge facing the government, the entire production system, and members of society going forward is to make this recovery permanent and sustainable."

He also emphasized the need for a social pact involving major companies to achieve sustainable growth. Draghi also mentioned the recent semiconductor supply shortage and promised to make large-scale investments in the semiconductor industry while promoting domestic research and development.

Additionally, he reaffirmed the government's policy to continuously increase the share of renewable energy such as solar power, stating that "ecological transition is not a choice but a necessity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.