ROME (AFP)--Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi lashed out Tuesday against the country's leftist opposition and against newspaper bosses over allegations of conflict of interest.
Monday, the opposition accused the government of Berlusconi, who owns the country's largest broadcasting group, Mediaset SPA (MDIUY), of a conflict of interest over plans to double the value-added tax on satellite television subscriptions.
The measure notably hits Mediaset's main rival Sky Italia, the Italian pay-TV service that is part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. (NWS).
Until now, Sky Italia had benefited from a privileged 10% VAT rate rather than the usual 20%.
"What a disgrace! I do not understand the newspapers which, instead of asking how was it that Sky benefited from such a privilege, attack me. What a disgrace!" ANSA news agency quoted Berlusconi as saying.
"The (newspaper) heads and (opposition) politicians should all find new jobs, go home. The politicians and the newspaper bosses at La Stampa and Corriere della Sera should change jobs," Berlusconi said.
The political storm comes in response to the government's plan to raise the VAT from 10% to 20% on satellite pay television subscriptions, as part of measures to tackle the financial crisis.
With Berlusconi in charge of the broadcasting group Mediaset that controls 5.4% of Italy's satellite TV market, the VAT rise gives the government an additional EUR210 million.
La Stampa newspaper defended its Tuesday headline which read "Berlusconi against Sky," saying it had "rigorously informed its readers."
A spokesman for the opposition Democratic Party, Andrea Orlando, said Berlusconi "does not tolerate free public speech which does not back up his decisions."
-Dow Jones Newswires, 201-938-5500
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 02, 2008 17:07 ET (22:07 GMT)

Publié le 02 Décembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones