Italian Tax Collectors Accused Of Pocketing $130 Million
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The head of an Italian tax collection agency, along with four other employees, have been arrested for using nearly 100 million euros ($129.35 million) of taxpayers’ money to organise private parties and other extravagant luxuries, reported Reuters on Wednesday.
The head of an Italian tax collection agency, along with four other employees, have been arrested for using nearly 100 million euros ($129.35 million) of taxpayers’ money to organise private parties and other extravagant luxuries, reported Reuters on Wednesday.
Giuseppe Saggese, 52, the head of Tributi Italia (Italy Taxes), had reportedly siphoned the money they had collected into his agency’s own bank accounts, in order to pay for “private planes, yachts, expensive cars, luxury holidays, extravagant parties and music concerts,” said the Guardia di Finanza tax police said in a statement.
Tributi Italia was responsible for collecting local taxes on behalf of 400 town councils, from the wealthy Lombardy region in the north to Sicily in the south. The alleged fraud had been going on for years, investigators believe, while Saggese himself is said to have personally pocketed at least 20 million euros.
According to a report by The Telegraph, the crime was uncovered after recent efforts by the police to crackdown on corruption and tax evasion.
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The governor of Lazio, the province that encompasses Rome, for instance had to resign last month over a case involving embezzlement of party funds.
Franco Fiorito, a senior member of the regional government, was also arrested for allegedly spending around 1.3 million euros of party funds on holidays, expensive restaurants and luxury goods.
Nevertheless, the news of the tax collection agency’s misdeeds are likely to further anger Italian citizens, who have expressed outrage at the aggressive methods taken by these collection agencies in the last year over taxes.
Earlier this year, two men had set themselves on fire to protest the tough measures, with one of the men leaving a suicide note begging tax collection agencies to “leave my wife alone.”
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“It’s a terrible sign of desperation, a single case of distress which sums up a moment of great difficulty,” said former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi at the time.
[quote]”The situation in Italy is very serious and Italians are nearing their limit,” added Susanna Camusso, the head of Italy’s biggest union CGIL to Reuters. “Our country is living in fear.”[/quote]
