With Robi Ronza the polished court
The true fiscal federalism
Robi Ronza
09/02/2011
Every day that passes the issue of so-called "municipal federalism" becomes less and less what it is, and increasingly the other hand, can point gap over which the opposition focus in an attempt to blow up the government. The theme is well chosen because the known "party" centralism spendthrift, a bastion of the central bureaucracy and all major parasitic southern clientele but not only, while the other is the majority in the opposition is well represented in the the majority.
To the extent that it is authentic , federalism is the only way to rapidly increase the efficiency of public administration as rapidly reducing the cost, and therefore the tax burden. Genuine federalism means coincidence between those who decide and who spends the tax revenue; full fiscal responsibility of all levels of government, from municipal to state, and then full right to change the tax burden under a "cap" established for all for the sake of general equilibrium.
In other words, the common fixed taxes, collects and spends , being free to reduce the tax burden even compared to neighboring communities to the extent that it is more efficient in spending, or the extent to which its citizens agree to waive certain services. It is not a fairy tale nor a utopia: it is the reality of every day, just as an example, in Switzerland. And Switzerland is not on another planet is a neighboring country with our own; and Lombardy and Piedmont who live on its borders, and therefore have direct knowledge, are as numerous as the inhabitants of the Marches and Umbria combined.
That said, let's get to our case, or the "fiscal federalism" so that we may topple the government. Let me be clear: we are far from true federalism. Here it is simply a (possible) change the method of distribution of tax revenues described in detail by the laws of the State and managed by its Internal Revenue Service.
New important are: a portion of tax revenue is automatically on the territory in which it is produced, the distribution of state grants aimed at a specific purpose (primarily the National Health Fund) takes place under the so-called "standard costs" and not as it were "at the bottom of the list" ie a mechanism that rewards those who spend worse is returned to the municipalities some fiscal autonomy.
missing is the one that, as we said, is the key tool to push the efficiency up and down the tax levy: that the coincidence between those who decide and who spends the tax revenue. Rather than play the card of responsibility creates a mechanism that opens the way for a continuous bargaining between the state and will tend to give that tends to local resources are not commensurate with their skills, and local authorities that will pull and pull in the opposite direction.
For more in the latest negotiations is emerging the worst of the worst: not wishing to give up a € of its revenue to local authorities the State throws them the poisoned dumpling of fiscal autonomy that would materialize in new taxes . So in the increased fiscal pressure already unbearable. Nevertheless, because the opposition is enough to cross project risks to topple the government.
Evidently still prevail in Italian public life forces which have not yet figured out that globalization does not make allowances and that without substantial structural reform in our country - that between 1945 and 1975 had passed the entrance of the ruins of war in the G 7, the group of seven major industrial economies in the world - now threatens to fall backwards and be pushed to the margins of development.
0 comments:
Post a Comment