Mario Monti has defended a tough crackdown on tax evaders in luxury ski and coastal resorts, rejecting angry reactions from leading members of Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right party whose support in parliament is vital for Italy’s new government of technocrats, reports the FT. Finance ministry tax police followed up a well publicised new year raid on Cortina D’Ampezzo in the Dolomites with unannounced inspections over the weekend in Porto Fino on the Ligurian coast and other exclusive retreats. Mr Monti, who also serves as finance minister, responded forcefully at the weekend, congratulating the tax police for their efforts and taking issue with Mr Berlusconi’s oft repeated slogan that his centre-right coalition, which collapsed in November, had “not put its hands in the pockets of Italians”.  The Telegraph reports Mr Monti also told a public broadcaster that Italy’s “banking system is not under threat” and that Rome may support a financial transactions tax, but only as an EU-wide measure.

This entry was posted by Kate Mackenzie on Monday, January 9th, 2012 at 5:23 and is featured in The 6am Cut London (9 Jan 2012) . Tagged with Financial Transaction Tax, Italy, Mario Monti, tax evasion. Edit this entry.