Thousands rally for action on economy

People take part in a rally calling for lower taxes and better protection for small enterprises in downtown Rome.

AFP/Rome

Tens of thousands of small business owners rallied in Rome yesterday to call for rapid action from Italy’s nascent government after a devastating recession.

“Time is running out. How can we get the message across that we have seen enough businesses go bankrupt and people lose their jobs?” said Carlo Sangalli, head of Italy’s main retail group Confcommercio.

Flag-waving demonstrators said that they had travelled to the Italian capital from across the country with a clear message for the government being formed by centre-left leader Matteo Renzi after his nomination as prime minister on Monday.

“We are tired. We want to be respected, we deserve respect!” Sangalli told the crowd in Rome’s historic Piazza del Popolo, where police and organisers said between 50,000 and 60,000 people were gathered.

“Too many colleagues have lost everything,” said protester Marco Venturi, adding that “around 372,000 businesses closed their doors in 2013.”

“The government and parliament must know that without us, the country would grind to a halt,” a nearby protester added.

Widespread frustration and desperation over the country’s high unemployment levels and sluggish economy are thought to have been behind Renzi’s decision to oust his predecessor Enrico Letta last week.

Analysts say that the Florence mayor’s dramatic power grab was influenced by the decision of Italy’s main business lobby to publicly abandon Letta, who is accused of failing to implement promised reforms.

One entrepreneur told AFP-TV that the eurozone’s third largest economy – which is struggling to emerge from the worst recession since World War II – desperately needed to see some change.

“Businesses are worn out, they cannot take it anymore. They are overwhelmed, by taxes, bureaucracy, useless procedures,” said the man who gave just his first name Paolo.

Industrial output in Italy has fallen by around 25% in the last five years, and the country’s vast public debt has hampered efforts to stimulate growth while unemployment stands at a near-record high of 12.7%.

The rally’s organisers, Rete Impresa Italia, said businesses “have been waiting too long for a recovery that never seems to come”.

Low demand and high taxes “risk provoking a further impoverishment of families and an alarming growth in unemployment”, the association said.