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Council of Ministers meeting of 1 May: President Meloni’s video message

Monday, 1 May 2023

President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni illustrates the labour and social policy measures approved by Council of Ministers meeting no. 32.

On Workers’ Day, the Government has chosen to work. It has chosen to work to provide responses to workers and those who legitimately want to improve their situation. We are doing so with a very comprehensive set of measures, with the most important regarding the labour tax cut.

We have freed up EUR 4 billion of extra resources, and we have done so thanks to a number of courageous measures we have pursued (I am thinking for example of the ‘superbonus’ [tax incentive] and of the issue of excise duties). Today, we are allocating that entire amount to the most important labour tax cut in decades.

We are cutting the tax and contribution wedge by four percentage points and this is in addition to the cut we had already included in the budget law. So, from now until the end of this year, we have a reduction of the tax and contribution wedge of six percentage points for those with incomes of up to EUR 35,000 and even of seven percentage points for the lowest incomes, of up to EUR 25,000.

I am deeply proud of this choice: increases as high as EUR 100 for workers with the lowest incomes, at a time of galloping inflation and rising living costs. I really cannot understand those who can manage to argue even about this choice.

However, we are also deciding on many other important things today: confirmation of the fringe benefit measure, whereby workers can receive a bonus payment of up to EUR 3,000 tax free, with this being dedicated in particular to workers with dependent children; important regulations on workplace health and safety, on school-work alternation and on the safety of students participating in school-work alternation programmes; incentives to hire young people, equal to 60% of their salary; funding for summer camps to help people balance life, work and family, and with regard to the ‘assegno unico’ [‘single allowance’] for children. 

Then there is the ‘reddito di cittadinanza’ [‘citizenship income’] allowance. As promised, we distinguish between those who are able to work and those who are not. We are confirming, and are actually improving, support for those who are unable to work, i.e., for families in difficulty with children or elderly or disabled members; however, those who are able to work will instead be included in a programme of professional training, with a reimbursement of expenses during their training period and significant incentives for those who hire them.

Lastly, we are dealing with employment for people with disabilities, helping the organisations that support them and earmarking resources to encourage their recruitment.

I am proud that the Government has chosen to celebrate the first of May with facts rather than words, and I believe further support was due to an economy that, even in these difficult times, is giving us great satisfaction, with Italy expected to record a higher level of growth in the coming months than other European nations.

Let’s keep it up. Happy first of May to everyone.
And now, back to work.

[Courtesy translation]