L'editoriale di Marco Travaglio: finanziamenti privati ai partiti - Servizio Pubblico - Puntata 20

April 19, 2012 - Season 1 The history of public funding in Marco Travaglio's editorial for Servizio Pubblico. These figures, which gradually increased, encouraged political parties to multiply in order to secure public funds, are increasingly important. What about private funding for political parties? Enormous tax breaks for companies, greater than those for donations to leukemia research... Private Funding for Political Parties "April 18, 1993: eighteen years ago, Italians abolished public funding for political parties. A plebiscite in the referendum: 90.3% of citizens voted Yes. But eight months later, the Ciampi government brought the kicked-out funding back in through the window. They disguised it as reimbursement for election expenses. Every citizen will have to give 1,600 lire to every party with a share of more than 3% between the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. In 1994, elections cost 72 billion lire, while parties collected 94 billion. In 1996, the balance was even better," Travaglio reconstructs. Beppe Grillo on Life Pensions When discussing the "caste," another recurring theme is that of life pensions. Very dear to Beppe Grillo, especially: "They took money they shouldn't have taken, they semantically fooled us with the story of party funding that turned into electoral reimbursements. Reimbursement is better... The pensions? They say they'll remove them from the next legislature, they say they'll cut their salaries by 10%: we don't believe it anymore, it's too late."