ALTOPASCIO, Italy, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- The mayor of a small Tuscan town is suggesting the legalization of prostitution in an attempt to address Italy's economic crisis.
Altopascio Mayor Maurizio Marchetti has proposed the creation of red light districts throughout Italy to combat budgeting shortfalls, ANSA reported.
"Today this is a totally illegal industry where you see employment of between 70,000 and 100,000 people, according to estimates," Marchetti said. "I can already imagine the criticism, but I am asking everyone -- is it moral for a person to work illegally earning 10,000 euros a month and feeding a criminal underworld, while there are people who are working honestly and cannot get to the end of the month?"
The Italian government proposed a round of cost-cutting measures Friday to trim $6.47 billion from its budget by 2013.
Included in the measures is the scrapping of 29 of the 110 provincial governments in Italy, as well as the merging of thousands of councils in towns with fewer than 1,000 residents. Also proposed is a higher tax on incomes above $129,573.
