In Corriere.it, Alberto Mingardi highlighted the European Union’s record tax pressure at around 39% of GDP and criticised the European Commission’s proposal to expand the next Multiannual Financial Framework to €1.763 trillion with new own resources. The article references Epicenter’s study, which demonstrates that a leaner budget capped at 1% of GNI (approximately €1.6 trillion for 2028-2034) would be sufficient for the Union’s core functions, warning that additional European taxes and spending would further burden families and businesses without delivering genuine growth or competitiveness.