Not only ecobonus, earthquake bonuses, furniture bonuses and renovations. This year the patrol of subsidies for the home is enriched by the green bonus, a novelty introduced by the last one Budget law and valid only for 2018, barring future extensions.
1) WHAT IS THE GREEN BONUS?
This is an Irpef deduction of 36% on a maximum expenditure of 5 thousand euros for the "greening of private uncovered areas of existing buildings - reads the text of the maneuver - real estate units, appurtenances or fences, irrigation systems and construction of wells ; construction of green roofs and hanging gardens”.
In other words, just over a third of the expenses incurred to renovate balconies, courtyards and gardens will return to taxpayers' pockets as a tax credit, up to a maximum of 1.800 euros on an account of 5 thousand.
Furthermore, the law provides that the deduction is "divided into ten constant annual installments and of equal amount in the year in which the expenses are incurred and in subsequent ones". The maximum savings on the tax return each year will therefore be 180 euros.
Unlike the provisions of the furniture bonus rule, to benefit from this concession it is not necessary to have already carried out renovation work at home.
Finally, the deduction is due to the extent of 50% only if the residential unit is also used for the exercise of a profession.
2) WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO IT?
The budget law specifies that anyone who "owns or holds, on the basis of a suitable title, the property on which the interventions are carried out" is entitled to the green bonus. Therefore not only the owners, but also the tenants and the borrowers. Furthermore, in the event of the sale of the property, the deduction is transferred, unless the parties agree otherwise.
3) DOES IT ALSO APPLY TO THE COMMON AREAS OF THE CONDOMINIUM?
The matter becomes more complicated when we are not talking about individual houses, but about condominiums. The green bonus also applies to interventions on common areas, but in this case the eligible amount depends on the number of real estate units present, except that for each there is a spending limit of 5 thousand euros.
For example, if there are 10 apartments in a condominium, the maximum amount on which the deduction can be applied is 50 euros. Naturally, the subsidy must then be divided among the condominiums taking into account the shares that each has taken on.
The Revenue Agency will have to clarify whether the green bonus applied to the common areas of condominiums can be combined with that reserved for individual homes. If this were the case, the total eligible amount would rise to 10 euros.
4) WHICH EXPENSES ARE DEDUCTIBLE?
The other important aspect on which clarifications are awaited from the tax authorities is the perimeter of the eligible interventions.
The deduction can certainly be applied to expenses incurred to purchase plants and/or to create hanging gardens, irrigation systems, roofing structures and wells. The costs for the design and maintenance of the structures also fall within the scope of the subsidy.
However, it is not clear how it will work for interventions that are already included in the restructuring bonus list, for example works on fences. If it were possible to choose, the restructuring bonus would obviously be more convenient, which covers 50% of the sum paid up to a maximum expenditure of 96 thousand euros. Whoever requests both concessions will have to present separate invoices and bank transfers.
5) HOW TO MAKE PAYMENTS?
Since the green bonus is valid only for 2018, it can only be applied to expenses incurred within the deadlines set for submitting the tax return. The maneuver also requires that "payments be made with instruments that allow the traceability of operations".
Translation: to benefit from the subsidy it is necessary to pay for the works with a "transfer transfer", which differs from the traditional one because it contains various additional information. In particular, in the form it is necessary to specify who makes the payment, for which works and on the basis of which law the tax benefits are requested and to whom the sum is intended.
