The 2023 Final Budget was approved in the city council, as expected without any particular hitches given the 13 votes in favor and 5 against (Piccioni, Gianturco, Arcieri, Mastroianni, Cittadino), another important step, therefore, for the Mascaro Administration which calmly brings home yet another financial result which had already been favorably welcomed by the auditors and the second council commission. Again the detailed report by Sandro Zaffina, Budget Councilor, introduced the proceedings, not before a brief remembrance and a minute’s silence for the recent death of Vincenzo Russoformer auditor of the municipality.
On the statements between revenues and expenses relating to the year 2023 only a succession of the same news already reported several times in the commission, for this reason the discussion to follow, before moving on to the vote, as well as for some clarification, took on more political hues. The Administration proudly brings to the table the exit from the structural deficit, «today the institution has 5 negative parameters out of 8» underlines Zaffina «so it is no longer structurally deficient, the fund is healthy, we have covered the deficits, unfortunately there are no gaps for those looking for them» he added several times, in line with the mayor, in reference to some controversies that have emerged in the press in recent weeks. In particular, the cash fund as of 31 December amounted to 33,074,318 million, the taxes collected amounted to 36,671,822 euros out of 46,922,686 that had been assessed. The speeches are inaugurated by Ruggero Pegna, who declares himself to be favorable and positive, «when we can spend I am filled with joy, I hope that this means further investments in priorities, as well as a bit of lifeblood for culture, for entertainment, to strengthen tourist flows also why not with a tourist tax”, the latter hypothesis which the mayor himself later found in favour. From Rosario Piccioni And Lucia Citizen the focus on the critical issues that have already emerged in the auditors’ report, critical issues which, however, during the debate are admitted as structural and contingent, starting from the age-old problem of tax collection, still too deficient but an endemic problem throughout the South in particular .
