For years, Italy has been grappling with the issue of absolute poverty, particularly during the heated debates over the “citizenship income,” a flagship policy of the Five Star Movement. Promoted as a symbol of their worldview and political vision, this measure has now been discarded as emblematic of a welfare model deemed unsustainable by a modern state. Yet, the discussion continues, growing even more intense as the budget maneuvers near their final stages after months of exhausting internal and external negotiations. The pressing question remains: how much funding is allocated to support the weakest in society?
But who exactly are the weakest? Are they the absolute poor, the relatively poor, or the middle class steadily sliding into poverty? Here, statistics and ideology blur, with numbers and benchmarks shifting depending on perspectives and propaganda. The reality is that a democracy must address the needs of the poorest unequivocally. However, it must also ensure conditions that prevent others from falling into poverty. This means focusing on employment, economic growth, and tax relief. In Italy, a self-employed worker earning over €85,000 per year is taxed at the highest rate, equivalent to truly wealthy individuals. Living in Milan with two children, losing nearly 60% of your earnings to taxes can push you toward poverty—not absolute poverty, perhaps, but poverty nonetheless.
This is the challenge for future governments, regardless of their political orientation: understanding this gray area where inequality festers in our democracies. Addressing it will be the key task for those seeking to govern the polis in the 21st century.
