Meloni seeks ideas to win votes in the south. ZES, tax amnesty (and Arianna as a candidate)

She will not be able to pull an ace out of her sleeve in the form of Citizenship Income 2.0, as championed by the broad coalition. Giorgia Meloni therefore intends to focus primarily on a package of measures designed to revitalise the centre-right – and in particular Fratelli d’Italia – in the south, ahead of the electoral test. In fact, the polls are not indicating a collapse in the southern regions. But the ‘sentiment’ in recent months has not been the best. Just a few weeks ago, truck drivers and farmers organised protests stretching from Sicily to Puglia, which the government sought to defuse by extending the tax credit and refinancing measures on diesel, without, however, having found any structural or definitive solutions (so much so that the talks coordinated by Deputy Prime Minister Salvini with the trade associations are still ongoing). In reality, despite the truce that emerged following discussions with the government, lorry drivers in particular would not have welcomed the cut of around 20 million euros in incentives for heavy goods vehicles included in the Budget Bill, seemingly intended to ‘offset’ the expenditure incurred, primarily through the release of funds from the Ministry of Transport. Even the farmers’ associations, who had protested right up to the entrance of Montecitorio, have granted a few days’ respite. This is because, again as part of the budget, in conjunction with the ‘Coltiva Italia’ decree-law, measures such as the allocation of 80 million for the ‘Agriculture 4.0’ package have been included. However, associations such as the CIA are calling for further action: towards a specific Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for the agricultural sector, as well as tax relief on the purchase of materials such as wood pellets. Yesterday, Meloni, Giorgetti and the majority leaders met at Palazzo Chigi with the aim of further amending the Budget Bill.

The fact is that the government has pinned more than a few hopes on the ZES, even in the budget. Despite rather tight finances, spending to refinance the single ZES (operating mainly in the south) has been increased by 2.5 billion euros – again in the form of tax credits – for the year 2027 alone. This move clears a series of pending issues and fulfils one of the requests put forward by the Under-Secretary for the South, Luigi Sbarra (who, however, had asked for 4 billion). After all, it was Prime Minister Meloni herself who, during the celebrations marking the government’s record-breaking tenure, spoke of the ZES as a tool capable of ‘mobilising over 60 billion euros’. And it was the government itself that claimed to have created up to 80,000 jobs in this way. Except that, in and of itself, a cold acronym like ‘ZES’ does little to warm the hearts of voters. Especially when pitted against a catchy slogan like the ‘citizenship income’. This comes against the backdrop of the phasing out of the benefits of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) – from which the South has benefited greatly and which expires at the end of the year. This is also why one of Fratelli d’Italia’s proposals is to reopen the deadline for the 2003 tax amnesty in Campania, given that the region, then governed by Antonio Bassolino, was the only one not to have joined that national scheme. This move is not opposed by Forza Italia, particularly in a region such as Campania, where the regional coordinator, Fulvio Martusciello (following the departures of Senators Silvestro and De Rosa), is also seeking support to overcome internal party dissent. Among the other cards Meloni could play (in addition to scrapping the vehicle tax, which the government considers a popular measure in the south) are targeted bonuses. For example, the funding of social cards for fuel, which had been discussed in recent months (at the instigation of Minister Urso).

From a more political perspective, the aim is to go beyond the agreement with Cateno De Luca. In the internal election campaign within FdI, Giovanni Donzelli will also play a leading role in the south; he is currently in Abruzzo for Sunday’s by-election in Chieti. Meanwhile, the party is engaged in a tour entitled “Sud locomotiva d’Italia”, which, after Naples, will also visit cities such as Bari and Palermo. Much is also expected of Arianna Meloni, who has been in Naples in recent days to take part in a number of events ahead of the forthcoming local elections. She also took the opportunity to give interviews on national issues. For this reason, in Via della Scrofa – given that her bid for a seat in the general election is considered a foregone conclusion – there is also discussion of her standing as a candidate in southern constituencies, as, should she enter the race, just like her sister Giorgia, she will head the list in five constituencies.