Tour of Europe's austerity plans
In an attempt to reassure the debt crisis, the austerity is accelerating in Europe. States as markets in the sights they will have to convince the date of 2013 to bring their deficit below 3% (a year later to the country under the rescue plan), as agreed with the European Commission . The great unknown is the impact on growth, with figures for the second quarter are published on Tuesday in Brussels.
Italy
Rome adopted Friday a drastic austerity plan to recover 45.5 billion euros by 2013, based in particular on tax increases, massive loss of seats of local administrations and combination.
For the first time, a solidarity tax on the highest incomes was introduced, up to 5% for incomes over 90,000 euros per year and 10% in excess of 150,000.Parliament had already voted in July an austerity plan of 48 billion euros over three years. But Italy has no choice its massive debt (120% of GDP) in place at the forefront of possible victims of the debt crisis. The surge of his bond yields to record levels last week had forced the ECB to redeem itself from the Italian debt in exchange for strict conditions on the hardening of austerity.
Sunday, the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, welcomed these measures "critical" for Italy, but also "for the euro area as a whole."The Europeans know that, after the bailout for Greece, Ireland and Portugal, the fall of Italy would push the euro into unknown territory paydayloan.
Spain
Seen as another weak link by investors, Madrid about to vote in late August a tightening of discipline, to bring back 4.9 billion euros in additional funds. This new turn of the screw completes the plan adopted in 2010 drastically to save 65 billion over three years.This time, it is health insurance and big business that would be utilized.
Greece
Athens, whose budget woes have catalyzed the debt crisis, the end of June adopted an austerity plan providing for severe savings of 28.4 billion euros in 2015 (divided equally between tax increases and decreases public expenditure) and a wave of privatizations to bring 50 billion euros. This was the condition imposed by the IMF and the European partners to unlock their help.
Portugal
Lisbon, also forced a bailout, wants to go beyond the expectations of international donors. To counter any slippage in public finances, the government announced in July drastic measures: special tax of 50% of the fourteenth month of incomes above the minimum wage, increase in VAT from 6 to 23% …These cuts are in addition to a package (15% increase in transportation rates, primary school closures …) has already been decided despite their unpopularity.
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