Specific, targeted measures are needed to support household finances. Altroconsumo is calling on the government to include them in the budget law: "The budget is limited , and therefore the limited funds available must be used to provide concrete solutions to Italians. The priority must be to transform the protection of purchasing power into a concrete economic policy choice, placing families at the center of public budget decisions," it argues.

Altroconsumo reminds us that "there are expenses no family can choose not to make: food, sending children to school, going to work, heating the home. These are where price increases are felt first, and they are now weighing heavily: with inflation at 4.2%, the highest level in three years, energy costs 22% more than a year ago, and fruit and vegetables are 5.5% higher."

The impact is felt twice: on families with fewer resources, who spend almost all their income on these items, and on a middle class that has seen its income shrink in recent years without ever recovering.

It's not just a social issue. In the second quarter, GDP growth came entirely from household consumption, but disposable income grew less than spending, and the propensity to save declined: "Families are supporting the country's growth by drawing on their savings, and they can't do that for long."

Altroconsumo is therefore calling for "decisive intervention on these aspects" in the Budget Law. We propose zero VAT in 2027 on a limited basket of basic foodstuffs, the only measure that will be immediately available even to those with no other taxes to deduct, subject, however, to quarterly monitoring to verify the actual transfer of the discount to consumers; a 19% deduction for textbooks, currently excluded from deductible school expenses; the doubling, from €250 to €500 per person, of the deductible limit for public transport season tickets; a 65% eco-bonus on first homes, coupled with a public guarantee on loans for renovations, so that energy efficiency isn't reserved for those who can afford to pay in advance.

Precisely because budget margins are tight, resources must now be concentrated on necessary spending and on interventions whose impact can be verified: "The value of this measure will be measured by how much of the allocated resources actually reaches where they are needed: to support family budgets."

Enrico Fresu

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