MILAN: Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday took full responsibility for the government's decision last week to impose a surprise windfall tax on Italian banks.

In an interview to Italian paper Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica and La Stampa, Meloni said the tax was a "sensitive matter" and had no punitive intentions towards the banking sector.

"I would do it again. Because I believe that the right things must be done... This is a decision that I took (on my own)", she told La Repubblica.

The economy ministry clarified late on Tuesday that the 40% windfall tax surprise move, a one-off measure which targets gains from banks' higher interest rates, would not amount to more than 0.1% of their total assets. (Reporting by Claudia Cristoferi, editing Federico Maccioni)