Rai fee to be included in the bill and partial reverse on the incoming tax increase for pension funds and severance pay: the government is at work on these chapters of the Stability law, but the definition of the amendments will still take some time. In the meantime, however, some modification proposals received the green light yesterday from the Budget Committee in the Chamber: interventions ranging from the social card to funds for the disabled, for emergencies and for the promotion of Made in Italy, passing through some clarifications on the two bonuses of 80 euros, the one on personal income tax and the one for new mothers. Let's see the latest news in detail, remembering however that all the measures are subject to further changes before final approval.
PENSION FUNDS AND TFR REVALUATION
The Deputy Minister of Economy Enrico Morando announced yesterday that the Government is looking for funds (about 400 million in all) to rethink two measures:
1) the increase in the rate on pension fund returns from 11,5 to 20%, which will be considered valid from 2014 January XNUMX (but for redemptions made this year, the amount already paid will suffice);
2) the increase from 11 to 17% of the taxation on the revaluation of the sums set aside for the severance pay.
“The resources to intervene are particularly demanding and we are not ready yet – admitted Morando – The issue is present and the Government is making an effort to verify that there are covers. We want to make real corrections and not a fake one”.
THE RAI FEE CHANGES: PROGESSIVE AND ON THE BILL
As for the Rai license fee, the Executive plans to have it paid based on income (taking into account the Isee values) and together with the home's electricity bill, so as to reduce tax evasion (currently no less than 27%) and follow the principle of “paying everyone to pay less”. The assumption of the tax should also change: no longer the possession of a radio and television set, but that of any equipment capable of receiving radio and TV signals, therefore also computers, tablets and smartphones.
"We are not yet perfectly ready - said Morando - and I don't know if we will be here in the House or in the Senate". The alternative, said the deputy minister, would be an "immediate intervention on local radios and TVs in the Chamber or a more structural solution either here or in the Senate, but the government's commitment is formal to intervene in this stability law on this issue ”.
The total revenue is estimated at 1,7-1,8 billion, at least 300 million more than the current revenue from the license fee. The additional resources would be destined in part to Rai and in part to private broadcasters.
SOCIAL CARD
One of the amendments that have already obtained the green light from the commission is the one that aims to guarantee the continuity of the social card for EU and non-EU citizens and experimentation in the 12 municipalities with a population of more than 250 inhabitants.
In response to the controversy raised by Ncd, which spoke of extending the benefit to immigrants, the Treasury specified in a note that the measure "has the objective of remedying the situation that has arisen following the failure to convert the law contained in article 9 paragraph 15 of Legislative Decree 150/2013 (decree extending terms). This provision guaranteed the continuity of the Carta Acquisti programme, allowing Poste Italiane spa to provide the payment service to those entitled to the social network pending completion of the tender for the new award of the service. The removal of the provision during the conversion of the decree into law would therefore result in the lack of legal ownership for Poste to carry out the service. Poste spa should therefore recover from these indigent subjects the sums disbursed from January 2014 to March 2014, when the company, after winning the tender called by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, stipulated the relative contract (March 24, 2014)”.
Furthermore, the ministry underlined that "the government's amendment to the stability bill does not provide for changes to the personal conditions, also as regards nationality, for accessing the benefit, compared to current legislation which also provides for non-EU subjects with a regular residence permit in the long term, the right to the social card".
Lastly, the Treasury recalls that the stability bill, in the version approved by the Council of Ministers, provides for the refinancing of the purchase card for 2015 for an amount equal to 250 million euros, "the same amount allocated for 2014".
IN 2015 150 MILLION MORE FOR NON SELF-SUFFICIENCY, 60 MORE FOR EMERGENCIES
Funds for non-self-sufficiency for next year will rise from 250 to 400 million euros. The appropriations from 2016 remain confirmed, amounting to 250 million euros per year. The resources are taken from the family fund, but these are resources already foreseen "within the 500 million intended for the family and non-self-sufficiency there is some relationship with the family", specified the rapporteur Mauro Guerra.
An additional 60 million euro is also on the way in 2015 for the national emergency fund.
FOR MADE IN ITALY 238 MILLION
For the implementation of the actions relating to the extraordinary plan for the promotion of Made in Italy and the attraction of investments in Italy, ICE will be assigned for the three-year period 2015-2017 a further 130 million euros for the year 2015, 50 million euros for 2016 and 40 million euros for 2017. The same amendment provides that for Italian agricultural and agri-food productions the Fund for policies for the enhancement, promotion and protection of companies in Italy and abroad will be established and agricultural and agri-food products, with an initial endowment for the two-year period 2015-2016 of 6 million euros per year.
COMPANIES: DEBTS-CREDIT COMPENSATION EXTENDED TO 2015
The commission also gave the go-ahead to the proposed modification which extends to 2015 the offsetting of tax debts with the credits owed by companies to the public administration. “Let's hope that the phenomenon we are working on is not of a structural nature – Morando said -. It is right to extend the measure but this is not the optimal solution from a structural point of view".
EBOOK: VAT REDUCED FROM 22 TO 4%
After the European rejection, the Government proposes once again the cut of the VAT rate for e-books from 22% to 4%. Books and periodicals in electronic format are therefore equivalent to those in paper format. The lower revenue, equal to 7,2 million euros a year, is covered by the fund for structural economic policy interventions.
PROVINCE EMPLOYEES
Yesterday Morando also announced that "an attempt is underway to reach an agreement with the institutions concerned, Regions, Municipalities and the central administration, for the reallocation of personnel from the Provinces, to be implemented, if necessary, with provisions in the course of the law Stability, but there is no agreement yet. A proposal will be presented either to the Chamber or to the Senate, as soon as there is an agreement”.
NUOVA SABATINI: 12 MILLION ALLOCATED TO MACHINERY PURCHASES INCENTIVES
To refinance the new Sabatini, which favors investments for the purchase of capital goods, another amendment already approved in the commission allocates 12 million euros in 2015, 31,6 in 2016 and 46,6 in 2017.
DEFENSE PROPERTY AUCTIONS AND DEFENSE INDUSTRIES AGENCY
The Ministry of Defense is authorized to sell the "valuable housing of value", with the possibility of reducing the price to be set as the basis for the auction. The amendment halves the time for the procedures and, as stated in the technical report, "has a view to enabling the Defense to achieve the objective indicated in paragraph 15 consisting of the creation of revenues for the treasury, equal to 220 million for the year 2015 and 100 million, respectively, for the years 2016 and 2017, through the sale of its real estate assets and especially of housing".
The times for aspiring buyers to visit the lodgings are reduced from 60 to 30 days, acceptance of the sale price with transmission of the deposit must arrive in 15 days (currently 30 days), and the notarial deed will be drawn up in 60 days instead of 120.
Another amendment provides for cuts of no less than 60% for personnel with fixed-term contracts of the Defense Industries Agency. According to what is explained in the technical report, the law establishes that the procedure for the management efficiency of the production units managed by the Defense Industries Agency should continue, under penalty of liquidation of the same if the procedure in question is not completed within the year 2016 A 60% reduction in expenses incurred for fixed-term contracts is also envisaged and the possibility of extending only one third of existing contracts for a single year.
650 THOUSAND EUROS MORE TO THE GUARANTEE FOR CHILDREN
For the three-year period 650-2015, the resources for the Authority for Children and Adolescents will increase by 2017 thousand euros per year.
BABY BONUS UP TO 25 THOUSAND EUROS OF ISEE, UNDER 7 THOUSAND THE ALLOWANCE DOUBLES
The government replaces the income ceiling of 90 thousand euros to be eligible for the bonus with an Isee ceiling of 25 thousand euros per year. The benefit is strengthened for the poorest: the amount of the check doubled to 160 euros for those who have an Isee value under 7 thousand euros per year. Basically, the coverage remains the same but the overall audience of those entitled is reduced, doubling the resources allocated to the poor.
80 EURO BONUS NOT TO BE COMBINED WITH BRAIN INCENTIVES
One of the new amendments establishes that the 80 euro Irpef bonus cannot be combined with tax incentives for the return of brain drain from Italy. The audience of beneficiaries of the bonus, however, is not touched.
TOWARDS PATRONATI CUT REDUCTION
Lastly, the Government is working to reduce the cut in patronage envisaged by the stability bill. The reduction should fall to 65 million from the 150 million foreseen.
HYDROGEOLOGICAL EMERGENCY
In the meantime, the plan-excerpt for the hydrogeological emergency was presented at Palazzo Chigi: of the 2,3 billion already allocated but not yet spent, 1,3 billion have been activated for 69 prevention and adjustment works in 1.130 Municipalities.
