ITALY: Wringing Bachelors

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Priests and members of religious orders who have taken the vow of chastity, war-mutilated veterans, officers and non-commissioned officers in the army, and foreign males resident in Italy are exempt from the new tax on bachelors (TIME, Dec. 27) and so could look on with amused tolerance last week when the details of the tax were finally approved and promulgated by the Cabinet.

Most striking is a clause making fathers responsible for payment of the taxes levied on their bachelor sons, if the latter cannot or do not pay.

Between the ages of 25 and 35, and between 50 and 65, every bachelor must pay 25 lire ($1) annually to the state; and 35 lire ($1.50) annually between the ages of 35 and 50. In addition all bachelors who are already subject to the regular income tax will pay 5% more per annum.

Thus from some 1,700,000 bachelors there will be wrung annually 100,000,000 lire ($4,290,000).