The one thing the Italian public is agreed upon is the end to public financing of political parties. Yesterday Letta and the bipartisan government signed their own death warrant with a DDL that indeed ends the financing of parties on the basis of a pay per vote system. You would think the Italians would be happy. They would, if the famous ‘casta’ – the political class – hadnt in fact done a clever little trick to protect themselves. This is the new law –
Over the next four years public (pay per vote) financing will gradually disappear, cut by 50% then by 60% and so on till nothing remains.
From 2014 the tax payer can choose to donate (with tax relief) via his tax return. It will be 2 per 1000 and by ticking the box the contributor can decide where his money will go – (specific parties only)
If the tax payer doesnt tick the box then the government will take the 2/1000 anyway and divide it up how it sees fit.
This is like the famous 8/1000 that we ‘give’ to the Church. If you don’t stipulate in blood that you want your 5/1000 to go to cancer research or Oxfam, then the goverment gives it all to the Church (i.e. another country) You have no choice. Now seeing how well this ruse works, they have decided to extend it to politics. In effect this will double the public financing of political parties to a sum not dissimilar to 160 million euros per year.
Grillo has launched a #leggetruffa twitter account – and I sincerely hope that Italy will rise up against this blatant up yours by the poltical classes.
