Figuratively: a sure and constant income

Tourism is our city’s main source of income, but the unruly exploitation of the “tourist” may kill the goose that lays golden eggs

Il turismo è la maggior fonte di reddito della nostra città, ma lo sfruttamento indiscriminato del “turista” può ammazzare la gallina dalle uova d’oro

The company used to be very profitable; now it’s about to close and the Unions are accused of killing the goose that laid golden eggs

Questa ditta era una miniera d’oro, ma ora è sul punto di chiudere e i sindacati vengono accusati di aver ucciso la gallina dalle uova d’oro

According to Aesop (Fables, 287), a married couple own a goose that lays one golden egg every day. For greed, they decide to kill and open the goose to get all the gold they think it's inside, but the goose proves to be like any normal goose: no gold inside. So, they lose both the goose and their income