We continue our series of in-depth columns curated by Giulia Muratori, secretary of Libera San Marino.
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Cost of living: a challenge we can no longer put off
Every family has its own budget. There is income, daily expenses, unexpected costs, and the plans people hope one day to carry out. Striking a balance among all of this has become increasingly difficult in recent years.
Buying groceries, paying utility bills, covering rent or a mortgage: these are ordinary necessities that weigh more and more heavily on people’s ability to live with peace of mind and plan for the future.
Even when inflation slows, prices do not automatically return to what they were before. And so, while economic indicators may point to a growing country, many families continue to feel the burden of the cost of living.
This is a reality that politics must be able to recognise, especially when it is in a position to act.
That is why I believe the 2027 State Budget must be an opportunity to further strengthen policies in support of families.
An important first step was taken in recent days, with the ratification of the decree on social tariffs for electricity, gas and water.
The measure provides for a 50% reduction in tariffs for families who meet certain economic requirements, with an annual per-capita household income threshold of €9,000.
The most significant innovation concerns the introduction of correctives that take into account housing costs: up to €4,000 for rent or for interest paid on a mortgage for a first home. Those entitled will also be able to benefit from free home internet connection.
This is a concrete measure, one that strengthens support for the most economically fragile families and introduces a fundamental principle of fairness.
Two families with the same income do not necessarily have the same economic capacity, especially if one has to cover the cost of rent every month and the other does not.
Recognising this difference means building fairer social policies, ones capable of looking at people’s real circumstances. But it is also a starting point for the choices that lie ahead of us.
The next Budget Law is indeed an important step toward finding new responses to the cost of living, while holding together two responsibilities: the sustainability of public finances and the protection of families’ purchasing power.
I am convinced these two needs are not in contradiction.
Containing public spending, fighting waste and making better use of available resources also means creating the conditions to strengthen social policies.
Rigour in managing public money must not translate into fewer opportunities for citizens, but rather into the ability to distinguish what is truly a priority from what can be streamlined.
It is therefore important to define a few priorities. The first concerns housing.
The cost of rent has become one of the main obstacles for those trying to build a path toward independence, for young couples, and for families who must bear a significant monthly expense for their home.
With the housing emergency law, we have already introduced important measures to address this situation. In particular, raising the income requirements for atypical residencies has significantly reduced recourse to this mechanism, addressing a phenomenon that over the years had fuelled concerns about pressure on the property market.
At the same time, tools were introduced to encourage rent-controlled leases, with the aim of making the rental market more accessible.
These were initial, concrete responses that marked a change of direction in housing policy. But we know that the cost of rent continues to be a difficulty for many families.
For this very reason, I believe it is important, now that some time has passed since the law was approved, to assess its effects and understand what further measures could strengthen its impact.
The issue is not only about providing financial support to those who pay rent, but about continuing to work to make the rental market more accessible and responsive to people’s needs.
The 2027 budget law can be the occasion to take a further step in this direction, evaluating new tools and resources to devote to housing policy, building on the experience of measures already implemented.
The second priority concerns strengthening the tools used to fight the cost of living.
The new social tariffs represent an important step forward. Now it will be useful to monitor how they are applied, to understand how many families are actually able to access them, and to assess, based on the results, whether further improvements are possible.
One aspect I believe deserves further discussion is the gradual phasing-out of benefits: avoiding, where possible, a situation in which slightly exceeding an income threshold results in the complete loss of support.
The process begun with ICEE [the equivalent economic condition indicator] will also help, once the pilot phase is complete, to better understand families’ economic circumstances and to make the distribution of public resources fairer.
The third priority concerns precisely how we use these resources.
The 2027 Budget must also be an opportunity to continue the work of containing and improving the quality of public spending, identifying where resources can be recovered without compromising the quality of services.
This is not about cutting indiscriminately, but about spending better, and directing the resources that are actually available toward measures that produce concrete benefits for people.
Of course, no budget law can solve the problem of the cost of living on its own.
Long-term choices are also needed: increasing the availability of affordable housing, investing in energy independence, supporting the purchasing power of incomes, and continuing to guarantee quality public services.
But every budget is also a political choice. And the one for 2027 can be the occasion to take a further step toward a fairer country, one more attentive to the everyday needs of its citizens.
The proposal, then, is to pair rigorous management of public spending with new, targeted measures for families. We do not need to indiscriminately multiply subsidies, but rather to build effective, sustainable responses capable of reaching those who truly need them.
A state budget is not merely a set of revenues and expenditures. It is the place where a community decides what priorities to set for itself and how to use its own resources. The necessary solidity of public finances naturally remains essential.
