Italy scraps state funding for political parties
The moves comes amid widespread disillusion with Italy's political class
Italian
political parties will no longer be funded by the state and their
accounts will be externally audited, under plans announced on Friday.
The new system would avoid "the scandals of recent years", Prime Minister Enrico Letta said.
Taxpayers will now be able to choose whether to fund a party.
However, Beppe Grillo, leader of the anti-establishment Five
Star Movement, called on Mr Letta's party to return the state funds it
has received.
Mr Letta said that the decree issued on Friday would fulfil
an election pledge of his to abolish state funding for parties by the
end of the year.
However, Mr Grillo called the move a "joke", writing on his
blog: "In order to give up public money, it is sufficient to simply not
take it, as the Five Star Movement has done."
Under the new system, Italians will now have the option of
earmarking 0.2% of their annual income tax to the party of their choice.
If they choose not to to fund a party, the money will go to the state.