The agreement has been reached within the majority on the main measures to be included in the Budget, from The second IRPEF tax rate will be reduced from 35% to 33% for incomes between 28 and 50 euros, up to the partial elimination of the increase in retirement age., the government is studying further measures in order to meet the needs of the workers, penalised by the combination of high inflation and low wages, which is increasingly eroding their purchasing power. A proposal has apparently arrived on the table of the Ministry of Economy and Finance: the tax relief on the thirteenth, requested primarily by Forza Italia, but which has raised considerable doubts among experts at the Ministry of Economy. The reason? A sharp tax cut on the additional monthly payments granted to employees (both public and private) and pensioners could cost the government 15 billion less in annual revenue, an enormity for our public accounts, especially at a time when the minister Giancarlo Giorgetti preaches responsibility and sustainability in the management of public finances, with the aim of maintaining the deficit below 3% and allow our country to exit the EU infringement procedure.
Taxes on the thirteenth salary
Currently, the thirteenth salary is subject to the same tax regime as a normal salary. Its amount is determined by dividing the gross annual salary in thirteen installments: 12 correspond to the monthly salaries and the thirteenth represents the end-of-year bonus. The resulting amount is then applied to social security contributions of 9,19% and thePersonal income tax 23%, 35%, or 43% depending on the recipient's income bracket. Why is the amount usually lower than the salary? Because on the thirteenth salary deductions are not applied for employed workers and family responsibilities, already distributed throughout the year.
Thirteenth salary: two options on the table ahead of the 2026 budget.
There are two hypotheses about the thirteenth salary that have been circulating in the last few days: the first speaks of a total exemption from personal income tax. Translated: only social security contributions would be applied to the thirteenth salary. According to the calculations carried out by the National Foundation of Accountants and published by Corriere della Sera, if with the Budget this hypothesis were to become reality, a worker with an annual gross income of 20 thousand euros would have a net profit of almost 300 euros, which becomes almost 500 with an income of 30mila euros, 978 for income from 40mila euros, 1.222 with 50mila euros of income 1.800 euros with 60mila euros.
These huge sums would entail an equally huge cost to the state in the form of lost revenue. It's therefore unlikely that the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Treasury will agree without certain and immediate funding (which isn't available).
The second hypothesis is less "expensive" for the State (always in terms of lost revenue), which therefore could have more chances of finding space in the Budget and which provides for a reduced rate of around 10%, which would still lead to a tangible increase in the amount of the thirteenth salary, even if less marked than that which would result from a total tax exemption. From the calculations carried out by the National Foundation of Accountants for the Courier it is clear that a worker with a gross annual income of 20 thousand euros would have a benefit of 182 euros which becomes 272 euros with an income of 30mila, 699 with an income of 40mila, 873 with 50mila euros and 1.383 with 60mila euros of income.
Finally, we must also add to these calculations the possible Intermediate Irpef tax rate cut from 35% to 33% for incomes between 28 and 50 thousand euros.
