Why did Silvio Berlusconi withdraw his party’s support from Enrico Letta’s government in 2013?

On September 28, 2013, Silvio Berlusconi withdrew his party, the People of Freedom (PdL), from the coalition government led by Enrico Letta.

Ostensibly, this move was a response to a proposed 1 percent value-added tax increase. However, the withdrawal occurred just days before a parliamentary committee was scheduled to vote on whether to expel Berlusconi from the Senate following his definitive conviction for tax fraud.1

Berlusconi’s attempt to collapse the government ultimately backfired when dozens of PdL lawmakers pledged their support for Letta, forcing Berlusconi to reverse his decision and allow the administration to survive a vote of confidence on October 2, 2013.1