Italy working on changes to 'exit tax', economy minister tells industry lobby groups

ROME, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Italy is working on changes to its proposed exit tax on ‌wealthy individuals leaving the country, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti told industry lobby groups on Friday, after the proposal sparked criticism from tax experts and financial advisers.

• The 2027 budget announced last month by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni envisages a 26% levy on unrealised capital gains of individuals holding financial investments worth at least €800,000 ($885,000) who ​transfer their tax domicile abroad.

• People attending a meeting in Rome with business associations on next year's budget said the minister announced that there were amendments to the scheme but he gave no further details.

• Wealth advisers ⁠said the exit tax could hurt Italy's appeal to their clients, reversing efforts by Meloni's predecessors to lure affluent ​individuals through generous tax incentives.

• Advocates of wealth taxes point to growing inequality, with top earners becoming richer while real wages stagnate for ⁠low- ​and middle-income workers.

• Italy also triggered widespread criticism from the financial sector over €5.9 billion in higher taxes affecting it in 2027.

• Italy's biggest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, strongly ‌criticised these measures on Thursday, saying they could prompt the ECB to ask domestic lenders to lower their exposure to sovereign debt.

• ($1 = 0.9042 euros)

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte; Editing by Hugh Lawson)