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The government's request to marginally raise this year's budget
deficit to 4.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) from 4.4% under
current trends was eventually approved by 221 votes to 116.
In a surprising defeat on Thursday, the right-wing coalition had
failed to secure the 201 votes needed to approve the extra
borrowing, with almost 50 of its deputies missing, according to
politicians.
The result was a shock for the right-wing bloc, in power since
October. A senior coalition lawmaker, who asked not to be
identified, told Reuters it provided evidence of weaknesses
within the alliance in parliament.
Meloni needs both houses of parliament to approve the scheme in
the next few hours, as she aims to use the budget leeway to fund
costly tax cuts for middle- and low-income workers to be
unveiled on May 1, International Workers' Day.
"We have our responsibilities, we take our faults and we will
learn from our mistakes," Maurizio Lupi, the leader of a small
centrist party within the coalition, told the house ahead of the
vote.
Tommaso Foti, the lower-house leader of Meloni's Brothers of
Italy party, dismissed speculation there was a political problem
and said the defeat was the result of careless behaviour by
lawmakers who did not show up at the vote.
The upper house, the Senate, is expected to give its blessing
later in the day, barring last-minute surprises.
The extra borrowing is worth 3.4 billion euros ($3.7 billion).
It will go to reducing this year's so-called tax wedge, the
difference between the salary an employer pays and what a worker
takes home, with the benefit going to employees with an annual
income of 35,000 euros and lower.
($1 = 0.9106 euros)
(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante, Editing by
William Maclean)
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