The automotive sector is the ATM of the exchequer. In the report presented by Anfia, state revenues from the automotive sector are confirmed as one of the cornerstones of the Italian tax system. In 2010, 16,6% of total revenue, 67,8 billion euros, came from four wheels. An increase, compared to 16,2 in 2009, generalized in all revenue items, which highlights a tightening of pressure in a sector that is made up of numerous taxes, many of which are indirect.
The taxes deriving from the use of the motor vehicle during the year (51 billion) weigh the most in the distribution of the levy. An increase of 3,7% compared to 2009 determined by the increase in the price of fuel and lubricants and by the higher VAT revenue on repairs and spare parts. In second place are contributions at the time of purchase (VAT and provincial transcription tax), a figure of around 8,6 billion, a figure that is down on 2009 due to the collapse in registrations. Finally there are the taxes on the ownership of the motor vehicle increased by the increases on the car tax and by the increase in the number of vehicles in circulation, bringing 10% of the revenues from the sector to the exchequer. The most significant increases compared to the previous study are found in motorway tolls (+12,3%, 1,4 billion) and in fines and parking (+11,5, 5,19 billion) which are increasingly vital for the municipalities that find them oxygen for their exhausted coffers.
The incidence of tax revenues from the automotive sector on GDP was 4,4%, much higher than the average of the large European countries, 3,8%. "The tax burden on the sector continues to rise - commented critic Eugenio Razelli, president of Aifa - there is a lack of structural investments to reduce costs". Among the price increases, Razelli recalled the superb stamp duty imposed in the financial maneuver for vehicles with engine capacity exceeding 225kw.
