Those who know a little about Italy’s wobbly economy will know that public spending levels are reaching record highs.
So, how could Italy save a few Eurocents? Read on for a list of ten ideas.
Ten Ways in Which Italy Could Save Money
1. Combine Italy’s police forces into one – Italy has three main police forces – the polizia, the carabinieri, and the local polizia municipale. Then there are the financial police – the Guardia di Finanza, and even gun packing forest rangers. Combining this multitude of police forces into one would save a bomb on admin costs and overheads, eventually.
2. Fiscal federalism – this may well be introduced soon. It may make Italy’s local authorities spend more prudently.
3. Introduce local salary contracts – being talked about. There is no sense paying people in the public sector in Sicily the same as people up in expensive Rome and Milan.
4. Start phasing in private pensions – few Italians believe that the government will have enough money in 50 years time to pay their pensions anyway.
Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
5. Cut the number of members of parliament by half – huge savings on the cost of Italian MPs perks, salaries, and extremely generous pensions. Other hidden savings too.
6. Give Italy’s emergency services one single emergency phone number – in the UK you ring 999, and tell them who you need. In Italy, first of all, and when you could really have to do without thinking, you have to choose which number to call – 112, 113, 114, 115, or 118. Not only does this risk life and limb, but it means that there are three or more call centres when there really only needs to be one.
7. Abolish the television licence – no one pays it, and Italy’s state television stations make a bomb from advertising anyway.
8. Use real paint to put crossing places on Italian roads – up here in Milan, the paint they use to put white stripes on the roads is crap. It lasts about three months before fading away. Great for painting contractors, not great for the taxpayer. Better paint would equal savings. Visible crossing places may even cut down on accidents too – an additional saving.
9. Introduce a luxury tax – why waste time and money trying to catch tax evaders when you can simply raise taxes on the luxury goods they buy?
10. Make most of Italy’s universities online learning institutions – most Italian students live and study at home while doing degree courses anyway.
What do you think? Let us all know.
Have you got any other suggestions? I’m sure you have. If so, comment away!
