This archive report was first published on 28 December 2019.
Italy's Premier Giuseppe Conte has laid out a comprehensive plan to tackle the country's key issues, including tax reform and a crackdown on tax evasion, in the coming years.
Speaking at an annual press conference, Conte emphasized the importance of addressing tax evasion, which he described as 'theft' that hurts honest citizens.
'Everyone has to pay so that everyone pays less,' he said, highlighting the need for a fair and equitable tax system.
Italy has the worst record for tax evasion in Europe, with a staggering 190.9 billion euros lost to tax evasion - twice its annual budget on health, according to a recent report from Tax Research LLP.
However, Conte's plans come at a time when the fragile coalition government is already under strain. The alliance between the centre-left Democratic Party and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) has been dealt a blow with the resignation of education minister Lorenzo Fioramonti, who stepped down in a row over the education budget.
Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio is under pressure from inside his own party, and some M5S deputies have already switched allegiance to the far-right League party, former coalition partners now in opposition.
Former premier Matteo Renzi's new centrist party, Italia Viva, is also causing tension, while Leader of the League and former interior minister Matteo Salvini is pushing for new national elections.
