Goodbye to the Imu 2013 on first homes: Italian taxpayers will not pay either the first or second installment. From next year, however, a new "service tax” (ie a mixed levy on various municipal services, including waste), which will also take into account the size of the building (the details will be defined in the Stability law to be approved by 15 October). This is the general agreement on the decree that the Council of Ministers should approve this afternoon.
THEpolitical agreement it seems done. The Pd will avoid giving to the PDL a pretext to open the government crisis, while Silvio Berlusconi's party will be able to boast to its voters that it has formally canceled the hated acronym from the tax list. The proposed solution, however, is by no means an abolition tout court: the IMU will simply change its name and be included in a more general tax. Even if, compared to the past, it should be based on more progressive criteria, the overall bill could increase. But at that point the problem would be with the mayors.
Once the political-electoral question has been resolved, the financial problem. Where to find the over four billion needed to cancel the Imu 2013? The first installment (currently frozen until mid-September) costs 2,6 billion and is already covered: 1,2 billion will come from the higher VAT invoiced for the repayments of public administration debts, while 700-800 million will be guaranteed by an increase in taxes on gaming and the remaining amount (about 500 million) should be scraped together with cuts to ministries and contributions to businesses.
More than a billion and a half are missing, and here is the mystery. It is still not clear how the government can manage to find this sum without raising other taxes, as promised yesterday by the Minister of Economic Development, Flavio Zanonato. There is talk of new criteria for the definition of so-called "valuable properties", in order to widen the audience of these homes, which would not be exempt from paying the IMU.
But, in fact, the hypothesis of new price increases remains alive indirect taxes. One billion could come from the increase in the third VAT rate, which – without further action – will automatically rise from 21 to 22% on XNUMX October. Some classic loopholes remain available in times of lean, such as increases on registration and stamp duties or the umpteenth upward correction of excise duties on petrol. But we will never hear more about the Imu on the first house.
