Several days before the national elections, a recent scandal between the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the opposition leader Romano Prodi became the main hot topic.
The leader of “Forza Italia” promised that Italians will no longer have to pay property tax, known as ICI, on their primary residences. The fears are that it would cause troubles because the tax on primary residences currently takes in some 2.3 billion euros ($2.8 billion), which goes directly to towns to finance public services.
THE REACTION
“If you eliminate the property tax, we would not exist anymore. It would be a disaster," Carlo Valentini, mayor of the small Umbrian town of Scheggino told Reuters. Prodi’s party also claimed the Berlusconi’s statement demagogic as that action would leave towns and cities bankrupt.
"But today, Berlusconi owes an explanation to 8,000 mayors who want to know where money will come from for public services - day care, the elderly, road works -- everything now financed by the property tax," said Piero Fassino, head of the largest party in Prodi's center-left coalition.
THE PRODI’S REPLY
The center-left candidate, whose plans are to partially reintroduce an inheritance tax abolished by the conservatives, claimed that the property tax would only affect the wealthiest, "those who have several million euros (dollars)”, according to him.
"The candidate Romano Prodi states certain things, but his army ... thinks the opposite," opposed Berlusconi. He described the center-left coalition as an illusionary strategy on "redistributing wealth, taking away from the middle-class to give to what they call the working class."
Another focus of the debate affected the ‘Iraq issue”. The ex president of the EU commission announced his intention to pull out the Italian troops from Iraq "as soon as possible" if his coalition wins the elections this weekend. With this position he opposed to the Berlusconi’s policy of support to Iraq by sending 3000 troops to help rebuilding the country.
The scandal will throw more dust to the image of Berlusconi, in the period of country's stagnant economy. According to the opinion polls, his conservative bloc is facing a crisis, even though he denies.
The outcome will be a reality after the weekend’s crucial elections.
| 
| 
| 