Mattarella enacts autonomy law

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 27 - President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday night promulgated the government's controversial 'differentiated autonomy' law allowing Italy's regions to keep back more of their tax take for their own policy ends, a law that critics say will widen the north-south gap and which opposition parties had asked the head of State to send back to parliament for fresh deliberation.
    The Senate and Lower House whips of the opposition 5-Star Movement (M5S) said last Thursday that they had written to Mattarella asking him to consider using his Constitutional prerogatives to send the law back to parliament.
    Whips Francesco Silvestri and Stefano Patuanelli said the government had used an ordinary law, rather than the Constitutional law they allegedly should have used, to "undermine the constitutional order" with the so-called 'Split Italy' legislation.
    The controversial measure, which won final approval in the Lower House last Wednesday, will enable regions to request more power over how the tax revenues collected in their areas are spent.
    Opposition parties say it will worsen Italy's north-south divide as it will favour wealthier regions in the north.
    The M5S, the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the other opposition groups have said they are going to collect signatures to hold a referendum on abolishing the law. (ANSA).