Ferrari president on the contribution provided by the government for income exceeding 90 000 euros: “But just here I think so. I agree with Warren Buffett and the Tobin tax, for reasons of equity and solidarity.” And again: “Scandalous that in Italy you will hit the middle class” by ROBERTO MANIA

I am rich, I am ready to pay more taxes. For reasons of equity and solidarity. And especially for a real big fight tax evasion. In return I ask the state to reduce its scope of action and be more efficient. “He reasons that Luca di Montezemolo, 63 years, average annual income of around five million euros.

Rich. And powerful chairman of Ferrari, president of NTV (the private high-speed trains), former president of Confindustria and Fiat. For some time there, there, one step away from direct engagement in politics.

And ‘agree with the American financier Warren Buffett: those who have more should pay more. “But-he adds – with all due respect for Buffet, on my proposal for one-off tax on large estates, from five to ten million a year, I felt a deafening silence.”

Silent business associations, a silent alert to its ruling class short-term interests. Shut up politics. Yet it is also here, according to Montezemolo, who passes the “reconstruction of the country”, after the failure of the Second Republic, redefining the relationship between the state and citizens, between the taxes they pay and the services you receive.

A crucial step to find – he says – “ethics and values,” to speak again of “common good” and not just “interests”, however important. Well then, the Tobin tax because “you absolutely must put a stop to speculation and it is right that we do at European level”.

But Italy is the center, in this interview, the reasoning of Montezemolo. A country in crisis, not only economic; no leadership prisoner of his past. “Today – he says – there is a government that is self-described liberal, but all you can say except that this Liberal government has made choices. I heard a minister of Economy claim to have … I miss the IRI effort photographed reality. And I see an unbearable intrusion in the economy. Therefore we have increased the intertwining of politics and business. cronyism and profiteering. crooks and blackmail. public companies were born with their Boards to place only some politicians trumpet . In 2005 I was president of Confindustria and remember that the task of a province was not a high price to buy shares of highways, but to provide services to citizens. Now is investigating magistrates in Milan. They occupied the state and this is the Instead of a strong state. A strong state should focus on its core business: safety, health, education, justice. This is the perimeter of the state. For this we pay (those who pay) taxes. “

That the state-intrusive, bloated with debt, there is never enough. Never. “Over the past fifteen years we have touched on all the records. But the services are not improved. Are increased monopolies, was born what I call the neo-statism city. Where competition in local services? Is it in transport or waste collection? The truth is that money goes to food services, but the great chasm of public spending. “

Taxes and growing inequalities, which reduce real incomes. The Istat said tables and analysis of the Bank of Italy. And ‘Italy of the new century. The middle class – as in other parts of the world, the United States in the lead – has thinned even more. Although the savings have been drained. “The average Italian – Montezemolo says the rich – is depleted. He has paid all taxes including those which are represented by hidden inefficiencies. Now there is a crisis, yes of course. It ‘true that a maneuver is used on public accounts. We ask it in Europe. We must do it. But once you hit the usual suspects. Instead serve growth and solidarity, fairness and rigor. “

And here it becomes almost Montezemolo to a program of economic policy. Liberal alternative to the government. Reduce the scope of the state, privatizing everything it can, by selling the real estate is not needed, abolishing inefficient spending, deregulating and cutting “immediately and not father died” of political privileges.

“Then, only then, if you need a contribution from the citizens, we need to ask those who have more. Why is it outrageous that you ask the middle class, the backbone of our society, to those who pay all you have to pay. Hence my proposal on the sheet: a signal of solidarity right. But there’s more. There is that in this way can we begin to hit the big (say, the really big) evasion tax “.

Minister Sacconi argues that taxing the “Montezemolo” does not take a billion a year. “I have not done the calculations. But while we reduce the intrusiveness of the state and then go get the money where we are. How much? We’ll see. It is certain that Italy needs to recover a bit ‘of ethics, a bit’ of values. Need a signal and we’ll see how it will recover in terms of tax evasion. “