Italy defies EU request to present revised budget
by Angela Giuffrida in Rome from on (#42V1Q)
Five Star Movement/League government to stick with big-spending strategy in bid to fulfil election promises
The Italian government has defied a request to present a revised draft budget for 2019 to the European commission, as it pursues its big-spending strategy.
Luigi Di Maio, the deputy prime minister and leader of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, which is ruling in coalition with the far-right League, said the government was committed to maintaining its deficit target of 2.4% but it would move forward with plans to cut taxes, introduce a universal basic income and lower the retirement age.
Related: Italy's battle with Brussels is about more than money | Maurizio Molinari
Continue reading...