How Italy's Tangled Taxes Help Berlusconi - Silvio Berlusconi failed in his attempt to topple the Italian government last week, but he still remains popular with over 20 percent of the country's voters. A big reason he has so many backers is Italy's highly complex system of taxation. - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi failed last week to bring down Prime Minister Enrico Letta's fragile coalition government, but he came dangerously close. Despite being convicted for tax fraud and facing expulsion from the Senate and potentially house arrest, Berlusconi managed to throw the entire Italian political establishment into disarray, rattle global financial markets and threaten to thrust the larger euro zone back into crisis.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/a-complicated-tax-system-in-italy-buoys-berlusconi-a-926692.html