ROME ? Italy's new premier, Mario Monti, vowed Thursday to spur economic growth while also trying to be fair in imposing reforms urgently needed to save his country ? and the euro ? from financial disaster.
He said his new government's policies would fight tax evasion, lower costs for companies so they can hire more and help women and young people find jobs.
"The end of the euro would cause the disintegration of the united market," the economist and former European Union competition commissioner told the Senate ahead of a confidence vote on his one-day-old government. "The future of the euro also depends on what Italy will do in the next week."
Monti, laying out his priorities, said he will concentrate on reining in Italy's spending with "rigor," spur growth and work for "fairness" in applying reforms.
He said he would quickly work on lowering Italy's staggering public debt, which now stands at 120 percent of GDP.
"But we won't be credible if we don't start to grow," Monti said.
He indicated Italy would be paying new taxes. Italy's lack of a property tax on primary residences is "a peculiarity, if not an anomaly" in Europe, Monti said. Also under scrutiny would be the possibility of putting a new tax on wealth, he said.
Another priority would be combatting Italy's chronic and widespread tax evasion. "Not only would that bring in more revenues, which would hurt," Monti said. But that strategy would also help further is goal of social fairness. Hiding or underreporting income by the self-employed is rampant, and workers with paychecks have long complained they bear an unfair share of the nation's high taxes.
Monti said the government would consider reforms to lower Italy's "elevated tax." Employers say high-payroll taxes discourage them from hiring.
"Structural reform is our duty, but we must avoid the anguish it will cause" in society, he said.
He also said he would combat black market labor. To encourage more women to join the workforce -- Italy has one of Europe's lowest rates -- he said he would consider lower tax rates for women.
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