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Berlusconi’s Heir Attacks Italy’s Meloni Windfall Tax on Banks
(Bloomberg) -- Marina Berlusconi, the eldest daughter of Silvio Berlusconi, slammed Giorgia Meloni’s plan to tax banks profits as “demagoguery”, the first public criticism of the usually private businesswoman against Italy’s prime minister.
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The tax “risks making Italy less attractive for foreign investors,” said Marina Berlusconi, who chairs the family holding Fininvest SpA, “I hope the parliament will change it in a way to make it more balanced.”
The remarks, made on the sidelines of an event in Rome, underscore the growing unease of Italy’s business community as the government led by Meloni takes unpopular choices, including taxing the additional banks made by banks on the back of higher interest rates.
Fininvest holds a minority stake in financial services provider Banca Mediolanum SpA which will be affected by the levy, announced as a surprise by Italy’s government in August.
Marina and her brother Pier Silvio have formally taken control of the €7 billion ($7.5 billion) business empire founded by former Premier Berlusconi earlier this month, but have so far kept away from their father’s political involvement.
Still, Forza Italia, the party which was also founded by Berlusconi, has been the most critical voice in Meloni’s coalition on her plan to tax banks profits.
“Forza Italia was reportedly kept in the dark about a plan to tax banks, and has presented several proposal to soften the tax during a parliamentary process to make the decree official,” Antonio Tajani, who has succeeded Berlusconi at the helm of the party, said earlier Friday.
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