Confcommercio General Meeting

Meloni: ‘We want to further reduce the tax burden on the middle class. No to a wealth tax’

The Prime Minister: I agree with Sangalli on the banks; we must help families and businesses access credit

by Mariolina Sesto

10 June 2026

Meloni "L'Italia non è la repubblica delle banane"

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Reducing the tax burden
When it comes to fuel, we mustn’t be afraid to do the right thing
Review the maritime ETS, which penalises our ports
AI is a tool with extraordinary potential, but it must be regulated at a global level

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

“We have no intention of stopping; we want to do more to reduce the tax burden on middle class”. This is the promise made by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Confcommercio assembly. “Others talk about taxing wealth, we are working to ensure that Italians can aspire to build wealth after decades of sacrifice,” added Meloni, referring to those in Parliament who have recently revived the proposal for a wealth tax. It was Confcommercio president Carlo Sangalli who, shortly before, had called on the government to introduce new tax measures: “Let us proceed with reducing the standard rate from 35% to 33% for incomes up to €60,000, to give due recognition to the middle class.”

Reducing the tax burden

“We started, of course, with the lowest incomes, and we have gradually broadened our scope; we do not intend to stop there – we want to do more, and we want to do more specifically to ease the tax burden on the middle class, because cutting taxes is one of this Government’s key objectives. To be clear, others talk about taxing wealth; we are working to ensure that Italians can aspire to build up wealth after decades of work and sacrifice,” promised Meloni.

Il Presidente del Consiglio Giorgia Meloni in occasione dell’Assemblea Nazionale Confcommercio. Roma Mercoledì 10 Giugno 2026 (photo by Mauro Scrobogna / LaPresse) Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Confcommercio National Assembly. Rome, Wednesday June 10 2026 (photo by Mauro Scrobogna / LaPresse)

Bank restructuring

“We want to reduce costs, provide new guarantees and introduce practical measures to ensure that access to credit – particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises – is no longer an obstacle course,” said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the Confcommercio Assembly, adding with regard to the banking system: “I agree with what President Sangalli said about the future of our banking system.” In his speech, the President of Confcommercio had said: “Regarding recent bank consolidation operations: the resulting structure must safeguard household savings and ensure local presence to strengthen credit and financial services for businesses.”

Italia is not a banana republic; the rules must be respected

In her speech at the Confcommercio assembly – the first by a prime minister in the last ten years, as Meloni pointed out – the Prime Minister defended the government’s actions against the phenomenon of so-called ‘open-and-close’ businesses. “This is not a banana republic; here we respect the rules; as President Sangalli pointed out, there is no market without rules, there are no healthy businesses and there is no growth,” said Meloni, highlighting the measures introduced by the government against ‘open-and-close’ businesses and claiming to have already closed “24,000” of them.

We must give young people more opportunities and reverse the demographic crisis

“We are facing a crisis known as the younger generations: the need to offer greater and more opportunities to the best and brightest among us, and, on the other hand, the need to reverse the demographic crisis, one of the biggest economic problems,” explained Meloni.

With the Housing Plan, we can revitalise our cities

“The Housing Plan is an important opportunity not only to ensure housing at a fair price but also to try to regenerate our cities and make spaces more welcoming and people-friendly,” emphasised the Prime Minister, proposing that we tackle “together an economic challenge, but above all one of identity and culture: let us try to reclaim who we are, our history and our traditions”. “Let us imagine together a new model of urban development that puts people at the centre,” she added. “We have planned integrated housing schemes that also manage the development of a network of local shops and neighbourhood services”.

When it comes to fuel, we mustn’t be afraid to do the right thing

The Prime Minister then turned to the issue of energy and fuel costs. “We have continued to support the purchase of fuel for the road haulage sector, both as a matter of routine and in response to the price rises caused by the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz,” she said. “If we want to limit the inflationary impact of the energy crisis on citizens and at the same time save a sector that keeps the nation moving and alive – as another crisis, that of Covid, has amply demonstrated – we must not be afraid to do what is right,” she added.

Reviewing the maritime ETS that penalises our ports

“Since the start of our term of office,” the government states, “we have advocated a pragmatic, non-ideological approach to the green transition; the work we are doing in Europe on numerous issues is proof of this. For example, the urgent call we are making to review the ETS system, to reduce the impact on heavy goods transport, and to review the maritime ETS, which risks severely penalising our ports to the benefit of North African ports without, incidentally, in terms of reducing polluting emissions in the Mediterranean,” Meloni stated in her speech.

AI is a tool with extraordinary potential, but it must be regulated at a global level

“There are a great many issues to address, but I won’t do so for reasons of time. I would like to touch briefly on the issue of AI, which is on the agenda of the Council of Ministers meeting convened specifically to approve the implementing decrees for the relevant regulations on the use of artificial intelligence. This is one of the most complex issues of our time. On the one hand, we have a tool with extraordinary potential; on the other, we have a tool with such far-reaching potential that we may only truly discover its full power much later. And so it is not easy to strike a balance between harnessing this tool and establishing rules for it that allow us to realise its potential whilst limiting its risks.” So said the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the Confcommercio Assembly currently taking place at the Auditorium della Conciliazione in Rome. “What are the risks? I see two main ones,” explains the Prime Minister. “First and foremost, the impact on the labour market. The impact that technology may have on our labour market is incalculable. Objectively speaking, we risk a world in which fewer and fewer people will be needed, a world in which wealth becomes even more concentrated and polarised – something we have already seen happen with globalisation. It must be managed.” And then, “we must be careful not to manage this phenomenon in time and for the impact it may have on our democracies. Here too, we are heading towards a world in which it becomes difficult to distinguish between what is true and what is not. It is something we must address; here too, it must be regulated at a global level,” said Meloni.

Mariolina SestoCapo servizio
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Luogo: Roma
Lingue parlate: inglese, francese
Argomenti: politica
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