Italy was divided on Monday over the idea of punishing Sicilian businessman who hand over protection money to the Mafia instead of reporting extortionists to the police.
The Sicilian branch of industrial employers' federation Confindustria announced at the weekend that it had decided to eject local businessman caught paying the 'pizzo' or collaborating with the Mafia in any way.
It said the move was in response to an escalation of mob threats against businessman who refused to pay up.
In particular, it cited the case of Andrea Vecchio, the head of a development company and the local branch of the constructors' association ANCE who has been targeted by the Mafia for rebelling against the pizzo and is now under 24-hour police escort together with his family.
Confindustria chief Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said the idea of expelling pizzo-paying members was "courageous" and that the federation was considering applying it at a nationwide level.
But he also called on the State to do its part by ensuring that businessmen were able to operate in safe, secure conditions.
A string of top-level politicians also praised the idea, including Premier Romano Prodi who said that Sicily's Confindustria was setting a "wonderful example".
Interior Minister Giuliano Amato agreed that the decision was "very brave", arguing that it would encourage extortion victims to come forward.
But Italy of Values, a party in the centre-left government headed by Public Works Minister Antonio Di Pietro, slammed the initiative as unrealistic.
Di Pietro, an anti-graft prosecutor-turned-politician, said it would be a "bad mistake".
"It makes no sense to punish a businessman who is under pressure from the Mafia unless you deal with the root of the problem and bring criminally-run areas back under State control," he said.
"The only ones who need to be thrown out of Confindustria are those that do business with the Mafia and owe their fortunes to the mob, and those that are convicted of graft," he said.
The minister added that he wanted to see public administrators caught colluding with the Mafia expelled from office.
Top Calabrian industrialist Umberto De Rose also blasted the idea, saying that it amounted to punishing the victim rather than the aggressor.
"Instead, what we should do is kick out all those businessmen caught paying kickbacks to politicians and bureaucrats and those who dodge their taxes," he said.
The leader of the Brindisi branch of Confindustria, Massimo Ferrarese, swelled the criticism, saying that the first priority should be to restore the law of order in Mafia zones.
"You can't punish a businessman for failing to rebel against the Mafia if you can't then guarantee his safety," Ferrarese said.
Mafia extortion rackets are rife in southern Italy and particularly Sicily where in some cities like the capital of Palermo, at least six out of ten shopkeepers are believed to pay the mob tax.
Since the start of the year, only 15 Palermo businessmen have come forward to report pizzo-extorting mafiosi.
According to a report last year by national retailers' association Confesercenti, the Mafia extorts 200 million euros a day from Italian businesses through the pizzo, loan sharking and other crimes.
The report said organised crime groups raked in 80 million euros every day from shopkeepers alone.
