Today in Italy: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Italian football fan banned for life over racism, Italy's transport minister rails against road safety measures, Italy urged to raise property tax, and more news from around Italy on Tuesday.
Italy’s top story on Tuesday:
Italy's Udine football club handed a lifetime ban to a fan found to have shouted racial abuse at France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, AFP reported, in what's seen as a step forward in tackling Italy's longstanding issues with racism in football.
The Serie A club said in a statement it had identified "the first individual responsible," adding: "this person will face a lifetime ban from attending any Udinese Calcio matches. This ban is effective immediately."
"We believe that such strong measures are necessary to send a clear message that racism has no place in football or society... we will continue to work tirelessly in order to identify and punish other individuals who were involved in this incident."
Earlier on Monday, Italian media had reported a 46-year-old man from near Udine in north-eastern Italy had been identified, and he was believe to be the same man in a video which circulated widely on social media.
Maignan challenged Italy's football authorities on Sunday by saying that "if you do nothing, you will also be complicit".
Salvini moves to block Bologna's 30km/h speed limit
After Bologna introduced a 30km/h limit in the city centre last week, Italy's transport minister and co-deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said he was working on a directive on speed limits in Italian cities that would reverse the move.
Bologna's limit was launched with the aim of slashing emissions and increasing road safety, but was immediately met with resistance, with local councillors from Salvini's hard-right League party saying the move would make life harder for residents and create “more traffic and fines”.
The limit was in line with transport ministry guidelines and applied to 70 percent of the city's streets, Bologna's transport chief Valentina Orioli said.
"The hope is that we can overcome ideological positions and explore the merits of a measure capable of saving human lives," she told reporters.
OECD urges Italy to raise property taxes
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Monday called for Italy to reform its tax system and put a higher burden on property ownership instead of labour.
In a report, it called on Italy's government to slash tax on salaries while increasing tax on first homes and inheritance, saying this would protect state revenues while allowing the sluggish Italian economy to grow.
The Paris-based organisation in its Economic Survey of Italy said that the country's growth has been resilient but is slowing down "amid tightening financial conditions".
Tax on salaries in Italy is higher than that of comparable OECD countries, the report notes, while inheritance tax is significantly lower.
"Shifting taxes from labour to property and consumption would protect tax revenues, while making the system more growth-friendly," the organisation said in a press release.
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Italy’s top story on Tuesday:
Italy's Udine football club handed a lifetime ban to a fan found to have shouted racial abuse at France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, AFP reported, in what's seen as a step forward in tackling Italy's longstanding issues with racism in football.
The Serie A club said in a statement it had identified "the first individual responsible," adding: "this person will face a lifetime ban from attending any Udinese Calcio matches. This ban is effective immediately."
"We believe that such strong measures are necessary to send a clear message that racism has no place in football or society... we will continue to work tirelessly in order to identify and punish other individuals who were involved in this incident."
Earlier on Monday, Italian media had reported a 46-year-old man from near Udine in north-eastern Italy had been identified, and he was believe to be the same man in a video which circulated widely on social media.
Maignan challenged Italy's football authorities on Sunday by saying that "if you do nothing, you will also be complicit".
Salvini moves to block Bologna's 30km/h speed limit
After Bologna introduced a 30km/h limit in the city centre last week, Italy's transport minister and co-deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini said he was working on a directive on speed limits in Italian cities that would reverse the move.
Bologna's limit was launched with the aim of slashing emissions and increasing road safety, but was immediately met with resistance, with local councillors from Salvini's hard-right League party saying the move would make life harder for residents and create “more traffic and fines”.
The limit was in line with transport ministry guidelines and applied to 70 percent of the city's streets, Bologna's transport chief Valentina Orioli said.
"The hope is that we can overcome ideological positions and explore the merits of a measure capable of saving human lives," she told reporters.
OECD urges Italy to raise property taxes
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Monday called for Italy to reform its tax system and put a higher burden on property ownership instead of labour.
In a report, it called on Italy's government to slash tax on salaries while increasing tax on first homes and inheritance, saying this would protect state revenues while allowing the sluggish Italian economy to grow.
The Paris-based organisation in its Economic Survey of Italy said that the country's growth has been resilient but is slowing down "amid tightening financial conditions".
Tax on salaries in Italy is higher than that of comparable OECD countries, the report notes, while inheritance tax is significantly lower.
"Shifting taxes from labour to property and consumption would protect tax revenues, while making the system more growth-friendly," the organisation said in a press release.
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