Italy’s Meloni cancels unemployment benefits for those who reject “a single job offer”

Italy’s new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has moved to cancel unemployment benefits for anyone who refuses a job offer.

The move was confirmed on Friday, November 25 after she presented her first budget to the Italian parliament. But as always there are the dissenting voices with Enrico Letta, Secretary of the Democratic Party (PD) calling the budget: “improvised, unfair and inadequate in the face of the risk of recession and increased inflation.”

The budget, which was seen by the EU Commission prior to being presented, also includes a basic income of €780 for the needy and a higher tax on extraordinary profits earned by energy companies.

There is also an increase for pensioners and aid to help with energy prices.

The budget was approved by the Council of Ministers, which they said was: “prudent in the face of the current economic situation” and “which will mainly help families and businesses.”

Included in the help is a reduction in the so-called tax wedge, which will see workers take-home pay increase by three per cent for those earning less than €20,000 and two per cent for those earning less than €35,000.

Aid for families with children will also rise by 50 per cent during the first year of their life and VAT on all early childhood and feminine hygiene products will fall from ten to five per cent. Maternity leave will also rise by one more month with income support rising from 30 to 80 per cent.

Although there is no cut on VAT for the bread and milk, €500 million has been set aside to bring down the cost of some basic necessities.

There were fears that the right wing Meloni would be a cause for concern as the country lurched to the right and away from socialism. But so far in a country where successive governments have failed, observers including the EU seem happy with her leadership which has seen amongst other things the cancelling of unemployment benefits for those who reject job offers.

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