After months of waiting, the implementing decree on the Rai license fee has finally arrived, which the competent ministries (Economy and Economic Development) will send to the Council of State and the Energy Authorities for the competent opinions.
The decree increases the guarantees for citizens who will be entitled to receive reimbursements quickly in the event of errors. The electricity companies will be given a contribution which will be paid by the Revenue Agency. The amount has been set at 14 million for 2016 and a further 14 for 2017. Funds that will be used to compensate the companies for the costs they will have to bear due to the inclusion of the fee in the bill. It will be up to the Energy Authority to decide how to divide this money among the various electricity companies.
Rai fee: the general rules
As anticipated under the 2016 Stability Law, Italian taxpayers will begin to pay the fee from July, the month in which, however, the arrears for 2016 will also have to be paid. In the bill, therefore, we will find a 60 euro heavy tax. The holder of the electricity contract, after the execution of an automatic transfer, will be considered the holder of the TV subscription. There will be no disconnection of the electricity if the customer who pays the electricity bill does not pay the fee, but the electricity company will limit itself to sending a request for payment, while the Revenue Agency will have to prepare the recovery activities and the any penalties
Rai fee: exemptions
The following categories will not have to pay the 100 euro Rai license fee:
– citizens who do not have a TV set at home,
– citizens with a family income equal to or less than 8.000 euros gross,
– citizens over 75 years old.
Exempt persons will have to send a specific communication certifying their condition to the Revenue Agency. The address to be used will be the following: Agenzia delle Entrate, Provincial Directorate 1, Sportello Sat, Corso Bolzano n. 30, 10121, Turin. Certified mail: DP.1TORINO@PCE.AGENZIAENTRATE.IT.
The entity directed by Rossella Orlandi will transmit the exempt data to the Acquirente Unico, i.e. to the public company which guarantees the electricity connections, which will "remove" the fee from the bill.
According to what was reported by Repubblica, in the event that the taxpayer pays the fee by mistake despite being exempt on the basis of the parameters indicated above, they will be entitled to quick refunds. In fact, after the go-ahead from the Revenue, the Single Buyer will have 5 days to send the information to the electricity companies who will return the amount as part of the first useful electricity bill.
Within 60 days of the definitive launch of the decree, the Revenue Agency will publish the detailed rules valid for compensation.
Rai fee: the islands
Citizens residing in the smaller islands, namely: Alicudi, Capraia, Capri, Favignana, Filicudi, Giglio, Lampedusa, Levanzo, Linosa, Lipari, Marettimo, Panarea, Pantelleria, Ponza, Salina, Stromboli, Tremiti, Ustica, Ventotene, Vulcano will have to pay the fee in a lump sum by 31 October 2016 by postal order.
