** Shares in Italian utilities slide after the government approved a two-percentage-point hike in its IRAP corporate tax on energy firms late on Wednesday
** Shares in A2A A2.MI, Enel ENEI.MI, Hera HRA.MI and Iren IREE.MI fall as much as 3-4%, underperforming the broader market
** The move is expected to bring the government around 1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) in extra revenue through 2028, a decree seen by Reuters showed, which will be used to fund the planned energy bill cuts
** "The provisions... introduce regulatory risk and reduce visibility on the evolution of energy prices due to the uncertainty on the application of ETS measures," Equita analysts say
($1 = 0.8473 euros)
(Reporting by Laura Contemori)
((Laura.contemori@thomsonreuters.com))