Prosperità per L’Italia

Italy is a wonderful country.  It has spectacular monuments, museums, churches, castles, cuisine, wine, and beautiful women:  Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida, Claudia Cardinale, Monica Vitti, and Virna Lisi to name a few.

Italy is among the best countries in the world to spend two weeks on holiday.  There is so much to see, do, eat, and drink.  But Italy is a dreadful place in which to live, work, and especially pay taxes.

All that could change on March 4, 2018.  Italian voters have a chance to restore prosperity for themselves and their country, and show the way forward for all of Europe.

A coalition of center-right parties (market-oriented, low-tax conservative parties in American parlance) agreed to an electoral pact on Thursday, January 18, 2018.  Silvio Berlusconi of Forza Italia, Matteo’s Salvini of Lega Nord, and Georgia Meloni of Nationalist Brothers of Italy listed ten measures in their joint platform.  Topping the list was a single-rate flat tax:  Salvini proposes 15%, Berlusconi about 20%, with Meloni concurring in the general concept.

Should the coalition form the next Italian government, the flat tax will be the first measure it submits to Parliament.  A text of the law already exists, with only the exact rate to be set.  It would be relatively easy to select, say, a rate of 18-19%, with an agreement to reduce the rate one percentage point each year to 15% if revenue materializes as projected.

Italy would likely experience the benefits shown by President Trump’s reduction in the U.S, corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%.  Money would pour into Italy all over Europe and offshore for investment.  Tax evasion would decline.  New jobs would be created.  Young Italians could move out of their parents’ apartments and buy their own place.  Those who moved abroad in to earn a better living would return home to grab new opportunities.

It’s that simple!

As one of the big three in the European Union along with France and Germany, other European countries would find it necessary to follow the Italian example and adopt similar low, flat taxes.  All of Europe would enjoy a sustained economic boom.

PS.  By way of disclosure, I carefully reviewed, and prefer, the Northern League’s 15% flat tax plan, which originated with its chief economic advisor, Armando Siri.  I also met with Berlusconi to discuss the flat tax.  I believe the narrow difference between the two plans can be easily resolved into a single flat-tax plan.