Newsgroup: it.discussioni.misteri
Titolo: Italia 64° dietro Mongolia e Belize

Italia 64° dietro Mongolia e Belize
di R. M.
Vengono diffusi oggi i risultati dell'Index of Economic Freedom 2008 - la 
classifica annuale della libertà economica, elaborata dalla Heritage 
Foundation di Washington, DC (
www.heritage.org
), e dal Wall Street Journal, 
in collaborazione con un network di think tanks europei fra cui, per 
l'Italia, l'Istituto Bruno Leoni di Torino.
Secondo l'Indice elaborato da Heritage Foundation, Wall Street Journal e 
Istituto Bruno Leoni, l'economia più libera del mondo resta Hong Kong 
(considerata libera al 90.3%). L'Italia è classificata al 
sessantaquattresimo posto (libera al 62,5%), con un punteggio dello 0,2 
peggiore rispetto al 2007. Prima dell'Italia, anche Albania (56), Bulgaria 
(59), Arabia Saudita (60), Belize (61) e Mongolia (62).
L'Indice stima il grado di libertà economica, considerata come assenza di 
ostacoli da parte dello Stato all'agire individuale, attraverso dieci 
parametri: libertà imprenditoriale; libertà di scambio; libertà fiscale; 
libertà dallo Stato; libertà monetaria; libertà d'investimento; libertà 
finanziaria; diritti di proprietà; libertà dalla corruzione; libertà del 
lavoro. Tali parametri si concentrano pertanto sia su fattori 
macro-economici, sia su indicatori che consentano di stabilire la facilità o 
la difficoltà di aprire e gestire un'attività economica.

 Italia 64° dietro Mongolia e Belize
Nel dettaglio:
----------------------------------------------------------
BUSINESS FREEDOM - 76.8%
The overall freedom to start, operate, and close a business
is relatively well protected by Italy's regulatory environment.
The government has streamlined bureaucratic procedures.
Starting a business takes an average of 13 days,
compared to the world average of 43 days. Obtaining a
business license requires less than the world average of 19
procedures and slightly more than the world average of
234 days. Closing a business is relatively easy.
TRADE FREEDOM - 81%
Italy's trade policy is the same as those of other members
of the European Union. The common EU weighted average
tariff rate was 2 percent in 2005. Non-tariff barriers
reflected in EU policy include multiple restrictions. Pharmaceutical
and biotechnology regulations are restrictive,
government procurement is non-transparent and prone to
corruption, service market access barriers can exceed the
EU norm, and enforcement of intellectual property is weak.
An additional 15 percentage points is deducted from Italy's
trade freedom score to account for non-tariff barriers.
FISCAL FREEDOM - 54.3%
Italy has high tax rates. The top income tax rate is 43 percent,
and the top corporate tax rate is 33 percent. Other taxes
include a value-added tax (VAT), a tax on interest, and an
advertising tax. In the most recent year, overall tax revenue
as a percentage of GDP was 40.4 percent.
GOVERNMENT SIZE - 29.4%
Total government expenditures, including consumption
and transfer payments, are very high. In the most recent
year, government spending equaled 48.5 percent of GDP.
Reducing the budget deficit and public debt (still equivalent
to over 100 percent of GDP) is a priority, but progress
has been sluggish.
MONETARY FREEDOM - 80.6%
Italy is a member of the euro zone. Inflation is relatively
low, averaging 2.2 percent between 2004 and 2006. Relatively
stable prices explain most of the monetary freedom
score. As a participant in the EU's Common Agricultural
Policy, the government subsidizes agricultural production,
distorting agricultural prices. It also can introduce price
controls. Items subject to rate setting at the national level
include drinking water, electricity, gas, highway tolls,
prescription
drugs reimbursed by the national health service,
telecommunications, and domestic travel. An additional
10 percentage points is deducted from Italy's monetary
freedom score to account for policies that distort domestic
prices.
INVESTMENT FREEDOM - 70%
Italy welcomes foreign investment, but the government
can veto acquisitions involving foreign investors. Since the
election of Romano Prodi in 2006, certain investments in
large Italian companies have been blocked. Foreign investment
is closely regulated in defense, aircraft manufacturing,
petroleum exploration and development, domestic
airlines, and shipping. The Sviluppo Italia agency is trying
to attract investment with incentive packages. Bureaucracy,
inadequate infrastructure, legislative complexity, and
a rigid labor market are major disincentives. Foreigners
may not buy land along the border. There are no barriers
to repatriation of profits, transfers, payments, or current
transfers.
FINANCIAL FREEDOM - 60%
Credit is allocated on market terms, and foreign participation
is welcome. Only three major financial institutions
(Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Bancoposta, and the sports bank
Instiuto per il Credito Sportivo) remain state-controlled.
There were 784 banks at the end of 2005, down from over
1,150 in the early 1990s. The six largest banks account
for over 54.6 percent of assets, though the market is less
concentrated than elsewhere in Europe. Regulations and
prohibitions can be burdensome, and approval is needed
to gain control of a financial institution. Legislation to
improve the regulatory environment was passed in late
2005. Italy has the EU's fourth-largest insurance market.
The government is taking steps to reform underdeveloped
capital markets.
PROPERTY RIGHTS - 50%
Property rights and contracts are secure, but judicial
procedures are is extremely slow, and many companies
choose to settle out of court. Many judges are politically
oriented. Enforcement of intellectual property rights falls
below the standards of other developed Western European
countries.
FREEDOM FROM CORRUPTION - 49%
Corruption is perceived as present. Italy ranks 45th out of
163 countries in Transparency International's Corruption
Perceptions Index for 2006. Corruption is more common
than in other European countries. Italians regard investment-
related sectors as corrupt.
LABOR FREEDOM - 73.5%
Relatively flexible employment regulations could be further
improved to enhance employment opportunities and
productivity growth. The non-salary cost of employing a
worker is very high, but dismissing a redundant employee
can be costless. Rules on the number of work hours are
relatively rigid. 

Italia 64° dietro Mongolia e Belize
Sono soddisfazioni.
Il brutto e' che in molti sono convinti che sia un bene cosi', anzi
dovrebbero esserci piu' regole e lo stato dovrebbe intervenire di piu'
nella vita di tutti i giorni.


Questo e' un dato entro certi limiti oggettivo, resta da
vedere la cosa piu' importante, cioe' se sia un fatto negativo
o positivo.
        Saluti