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Italy Fin Min: Any 2010 Deficit Due To Unemployment Benefits



ROME (Mf-Dow Jones)--Italian Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti said Thursday that any deficit in 2010 will be created solely by government spending on unemployment benefits.

"I want to be clear about this: if there is, and I don't think there will be, a deficit, it will only be because of unemployment benefits," Tremonti said, speaking to the Chamber of Deputies' Finance Commission.

Tremonti said Nov. 10 that Italy will start cutting its deficit next year, along with other European countries.

The European Commission said Nov. 3 it sees Italy's deficit-to-GDP ratio at 5.3% in 2009, and remaining at around that level in 2010 and 2011.

The rate was 2.7% in 2008.

-By Jennifer Clark, Dow Jones Newswires; 39 02 58 21 9904; jennifer.clark@ dowjones.com


  (END) Dow Jones Newswires
  11-26-090436ET
  Copyright (c) 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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