The remainder of the increase, some € billion, reflected the reduction of tax evasion and avoidance both as a result of enforcement action and in connection with some structural changes in the Italian economy in recent year (such as the increasingly important role of mass retailing).
Despite the acceleration in economic growth, the ratio of primary current expenditure to GDP remained basically constant, near the highest levels of recent decades. The reduction in intermediate consumption was offset by the rapid increase in social benefits. The contraction of public investment spending continued.