Fiscal Federalism and Autonomist Reform in the Svimez Annual Reports

This paper analyses the positions on fiscal federalism advocated by Svimez in the Introductions to the Annual Reports from 1996 to 1998. In these years Salvatore Cafiero was already making his own direct, specific contribution on the subject in the Introductions, which effectively reflect his ideas. In these Introductions it is argued that reform of the Italian Republic in the direction of regional autonomy is not only desirable but actually crucial to the interests of the country as a whole, provided it means no compromise in the equal treatment of citizens wherever they live, regardless of local revenues. Indeed, federalism understood as the right of wealthy communities to retain a correspondingly large share of the taxes paid to the State by all citizens proportionally to their fiscal capacity would have grave consequences, which might even jeopardize the unity of Italy.