IMMIGRANTS A BOON FOR ITALIAN TAX BASE, CARITAS

IMMIGRANTS A BOON FOR ITALIAN TAX BASE, CARITAS

(ANSA) - Rome, October 28 - Immigrants are a major help to Italy's national pension system and an important source of tax revenue, Catholic charity Caritas said Wednesday.

According to the organization, foreign workers pump over 7 billion euros per year into the national retirement fund and pay the government 3.2 billion euros in income taxes.

The organization predicted that just one in 25 foreign residents will be in retirement ten years from now compared to one in five Italians.

Caritas added that their contribution to the Italian tax base is set to rise, with the number of foreign workers in Italy increasing by 200,000 last year.

There are a total of two million foreign workers in Italy, who produce some 10% of the country's gross domestic product, the organization said.

According to Caritas, immigrant workers are more willing to move and accept a wider range of tasks than many Italians, and are at greater risk of work accidents.

Over 143,000 foreign workers were injured on the job last year and 176 killed.

The organization also pointed to the role of foreign-run businesses, which have proven resilient to the economic downturn, increasing by 10% in 2008 and raking in over 6.4 billion euros.