Giorgio Vittadini: "The 5 per thousand? A guarantee of quality welfare."
Giorgio Vittadini, founder in 2002 and president of the Foundation for Subsidiarity, teaches statistics at the University of Milan-Bicocca. He is one of the organizers of the Rimini Meeting and a keen observer of the third sector and politics.
Professor, the 5 per thousand tax return has never been so popular among taxpayers: what does this data tell us?
It's not surprising. As revealed in our report on subsidiarity and local welfare, 80% of Italians consider the third sector "fundamental" for welfare, that is, for the elderly, people with disabilities, minors, the environment, culture... In other words, people consider the third sector a fundamental element of democracy, which would no longer be so if the universal right to education, assistance, and healthcare were lost. These are areas where the third sector often makes a difference. The 5 per thousand taxpayer tax, which is an important source of support for this sector, is also a "perfect" tool.
In what sense?
Its creation was the greatest success of the Interparliamentary Group for Subsidiarity, to which we also contributed. The 5 per thousand tax breaks the traditional mechanism whereby taxpayers give money to the state and the state redistributes resources, because it opens up citizen participation in economic and welfare policy decisions. It expands freedom of choice and improves the quality of welfare: citizens reward organizations they trust in terms of the quality of the services they offer.
The 5 per thousand as an impact assessment tool?
The 5 per thousand ensures three objectives: citizen participation, support for the Third Sector, and rational allocation of resources.
Those who argue that the 5 per thousand tax should have a spending limit object that without a cap, funds intended for other spending items would be diverted from the tax authorities. How can this be countered?
Without those resources, the state would spend much more to ensure quality services. The 5 per thousand is a spending review of social spending, because it guarantees efficiency and quality. My proposal is this: let's conduct research that demonstrates the extent of the welfare spending savings that the 5 per thousand ensures. A figure like this would put an end to any discussion. We need to move beyond the logic that the 5 per thousand supports "the good." The 5 per thousand is a tool to ensure the universality of welfare. We are no longer in the situation where the state and the third sector viewed each other with suspicion and the slogan was "more society, less state." Today, the state and the third sector collaborate to build an effective welfare system in an era of scarce resources. The state alone could not do it.
What do you say then to those who say that there are other tools besides the 5 per thousand to ensure resources for non-profits, alluding to "compensation" mechanisms that help to cope with the presence of the cap?
As I mentioned, there's the issue of spending efficiency, which the 5 per thousand preserves much more than other instruments. Then there's the question of citizen participation and empowerment, a key issue today more than ever. A taxpayer who allocates the 5 per thousand is a taxpayer who chooses one organization over another and, in doing so, evaluates the quality of services. This is something that is never done in public administration. In other words, the 5 per thousand is a vehicle through which citizens regain control of public affairs: those who entrust a portion of their personal income tax to an organization often participate in that organization's operations or at least learn about its activities: no other fiscal instrument can ensure this result. Restricting the 5 per thousand means reducing these spaces for freedom and participation, but also reducing the quality of welfare spending. We would all lose out.
This content is taken from the issue of VITA magazine “5 per mille, ma per davvero” and has been exceptionally made available to everyone. If you appreciate our commitment, if you want to support us and the campaign, subscribe to VITA .
Photo: Rimini Meeting
For 30 years, VITA has been the leading publication for social innovation, civic activism, and the third sector. We are a nonprofit social enterprise: we tell stories, promote campaigns, and engage with businesses, politicians, and institutions to promote the values of public interest and the common good. We are able to do this thanks to those who choose to support us.
Vita.it
