The pressure on the tax authorities and land registry and the criticisms on the beaches. “So Rome loses revenue.” Gentiloni replies to Salvini
FROM THE ENCOUNTER IN BRUSSELS. The tax reform and that of the land registry. A “credible” debt reduction and the need to implement the national recovery and resilience plan according to the agreed milestones. And again: less dependence on fossil fuels and an invitation to deploy “additional capacities” in the field of renewable energy. In the usual annual recommendations of the European Commission there are the usual “evergreens”, but also some “new entries”. These are the responses that Brussels asks to give to the many weaknesses that see Italy permanently in the tail group of countries with “excessive macroeconomic imbalances”, in the company of Greece and Cyprus.
This is the moon indicated by the Commission, despite the fact that Italian politics continues to look at the finger. Maybe fixing on requests that don’t really exist. This is the case with house taxes and in particular with the reintroduction of the IMU which is agitating the parties. Until a few years ago, Brussels explicitly asked for it in its recommendations, but now it no longer.
In the document presented yesterday, the Commission limits itself to asking for “the alignment of cadastral values with current market values”. A reflection on the IMU exemption for the first home appears in the working document containing the country report, even if this has not been translated into a real recommendation. Brussels stresses that “the tax burden on labor remains very high” and notes that “other sources of income that are less penalizing for growth are underused”. Among these, he mentions the revenues deriving from VAT, “also due to the widespread use of reduced rates”, and recalls that “the first homes are exempt from property taxes”.
Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni rejected the accusations that came above all from the League, saying that “the EU has no intention of massacring anyone”: the recommendation on the updating of cadastral values - the Commissioner for the Economy underlined – “does not represent a request for an increase taxes or the reintroduction of the tax on the first home, but it represents a necessity for Italy, of which I think the Italian government is fully aware. And in fact it is preparing measures in this direction ».
Among other things, as EU sources have pointed out, the land registry reform is not even one of the necessary conditions for the disbursement of the Recovery funds. The reform of competition, on the other hand, is another hot topic within the majority. And in particular the question of bathing concessions which today are awarded without a public tender. “This involves a significant loss of revenue – writes the Commission – as these concessions have been automatically renewed for long periods and at values far below market values”.
Alongside public debt, which “remains a main source of vulnerability”, there are other factors that, according to the analysis, represent an obstacle to growth: among these, the poor efficiency of the public administration, “especially at the local level”, and the judicial system. A large chapter is devoted to work, given that “in 2021 the employment rate was still 10 points below the EU average” and that “the gender gap in employment levels is among the most pronounced in the EU”. Education is also bad, especially primary and secondary, where structural problems have been aggravated by Covid: “Compensating the learning losses suffered during the pandemic could represent a significant challenge”.
Then there is a passage on Quota100 and Quota102 “which further increased pension expenditure”, which is destined to grow following the aging of the population. Demographic developments are of great concern and Brussels suggests attracting skilled immigration through tax breaks. Finally, the EU invites Italy to diversify the energy mix, reducing dependence on gas and oil, and to accelerate the achievement of the objectives in terms of energy efficiency and sustainable transport. In this context, the importance of “completing some relevant cross-border rail projects, such as the Turin-Lyon section, is underlined”.
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