Rome - The Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti has agreed to pay Italy's taxman what he owes, an amount - 25 billion lire (£10 million) - likely to keep the treasury singing.
Befitting a man known for grand gestures, Mr Pavarotti appeared at the Italian Treasury in central Rome yesterday to make an initial payment to the Finance Minister, Mr Ottaviano del Turco, in person.
The decision by Pavarotti to pay the tax bill ends a four-year dispute with the authorities over alleged tax evasion in 1989 and 1991.