Italian government proposes stimulus plan

The Italian government has proposed a stimulus package that combines money for infrastructure and aid to poor families with help for banks.

The total cost of the plan was set at 80 billion euros ($101 billion), the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The government also wants to speed up infrastructure projects and to make stopping them more difficult.

''The message we want to send now is one of confidence, for the present and for a better future, a confidence without which our economy and nation could not hold together,'' Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti said Friday.

Tremonti said government dept will remain within the limits required by the euro zone.

The plan would also include aid to keep banks liquid and to help homeowners refinance mortgages. Tax benefits, including speeding up refunds and tax breaks for businesses, would be balanced by a crackdown on tax evasion.