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Italian Mafia may benefit from current economic crisis (MOB)
Beyond the movies and horror stories of the Italian Mafia lies an existing and alluring truth. Many people don’t believe that the Mafia still exists, yet that they are currently one of the biggest “businesses” in Italy today. Over 180,000 Italian businesses pay a protection fee or ‘pizzo’ everyday to the ever so flourishing Mafia.
Italian businesses do this in hopes of not only protection but the opportunity that exists with being associated with the Mafia. This may sound strange but having ties to the Mafia in the current economic crisis can benefit business in many ways. According to the Italian Shopkeepers Association, “If the country's four organized crime groups were a corporation, their combined turnover of £106bn and £57bn net profit would make them Italy's biggest business.”
In times of economic hardships and a nearing global recession the godfathers of the Mafia are getting excited and hoping that we all fall on our faces. If Italy falls into recession or god forbid a depression, it will leave ample possibilities for the Mafia to profit.
With their already existing investments in nightclubs, restaurants, construction companies and many more they can add to their £57bn net profit by extending the opportunity for business to come to them for loans. During hard times falling Italian businesses might find a helping hand in the Mafia thus, giving the Mafia more power and a tighter hold on “their” cities and Italy as a whole.
Comments on Italian Mafia may benefit from current economic crisis
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Chris said on November 12, 2008 at 09:38
Your report is a truly correct one, it is true that particularly since the economic crisis of the past months, the tide has turned in favour of the Mafiosi in Italy. With liquidity shortage, come the need for business to borrow, and when banks can't lend there is either "i genitori" (the parents) or "i padroni" the mafia.
Even today in formerly mafia "free" cities like Milan, the mafia are everywhere, it is part, I am afraid, of an overall dying of our country, our population, our creativity, our sovereignty, and our freedoms are all under attack. I am very sad about this.
