At Meloni’s house, the 2026 maneuver is discussed over dinner, literally: around the table, in the prime minister’s Roman home, were Matteo Salvini, Antonio Tajani, Maurizio Lupi, the Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti and his deputy Maurizio Leo. On the menu there are the various requests of the majority parties, but also two stone guests: the banks and insurance companies, called to contribute to the coverage necessary to guarantee bonuses and measures.
The maneuver is worth 16 billion
The upcoming budget law is worth 16 billion euros, of which 10 billion in lower expenses and 6 billion in new revenues. But actual resources are not enough.
Each majority political force defends its own flags (cutting of personal income tax, scrapping of quinquies, also known as tax peace or amnesty, partial blocking of the retirement age, bonus for families and businesses) and the result is a mosaic that is very difficult to put together.
It is above all the League that is relaunching the idea of an extra contribution with the extra profits of banks and insurance companies, worth 5 billion euros. According to Matteo Salvini, this figure would serve to avoid cuts and support some of the symbolic measures of the Northern League.
The tug of war is, first and foremost, between Salvini and Tajani. The first presses for the commitment of the bankers, the second defends the interests of the Berlusconi family, linked to Banca Mediolanum.
Negotiation with the banks
Already last Sunday, according to the background information, there were new contacts with the bank top management. The Executive would have tested the willingness of the institutions to provide a voluntary contribution to the state budget, perhaps through tax advances or the postponement of some benefits.
The objective is twofold:
- make money without introducing a new tax;
- preserve relations with the financial sector, which the Government considers strategic for economic stability.
It is no coincidence that Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani was keen to point out that:
Forza Italia’s line prevailed – no tax on extra profits, but constructive dialogue.
One of the most concrete hypotheses concerns the revision of the tax on the special reserve of banks, established two years ago.
At the time the Government had allowed institutions to set aside profits in a non-distributable reserve, thus avoiding the tax on extra profits, but with the clause of having to pay a 40% tax if they decided to distribute it in the future.
Now the idea is to lower the rate to encourage banks to open their coffers, distribute dividends and generate revenue.
The operation would not be a tax, but a balanced fiscal incentive, which would allow the State to collect resources without compromising the confidence of the markets and without excessively raising the hostility of the bankers.
Insurance hypotheses and tax on policies
At the same time, a similar contribution for insurance companies is being discussed.
The proposal, again supported by the League, concerns a tax on mandatory policies against natural disasters, recently introduced to deal with extreme climatic events. But, for now, no confirmation has been received from the Ministry of Economy.
The measures of the Maneuver to be financed
According to the hypothesis, the funds raised through the contribution of banks and insurance companies would be intended to cover the most expensive measures of the Budget:
- the partial blocking of the increase in the retirement age planned for 2027 to avoid a three-month increase for everyone;
- the new scrapping of tax bills on which Lega and Forza Italia are still divided with the former wanting uniform installments and the latter asking for a heavier initial instalment;
- the family package made up of mothers bonuses, parental leave and tax deductions;
- The Irpef cut for incomes between 28,000 and 50,000 euros, which alone is worth 2.5 billion.
