Ddl on free entrepreneurship under consideration by the Senate

Transforming unemployed employees into self-employed income-producing workers, triggering an economic circuit that is advantageous for the worker and for the Italian system, through the creation of a fabric of micro-enterprises. All of this "using social safety nets actively and no longer passively". These are the objectives of the bill to support free entrepreneurship, which is being examined by the Senate Labor Commission. Already approved by the Chamber, the provision, explains the rapporteur of the bill Ada Spadoni Urbani, "aims to bring a new philosophy: no longer looking for work, but creating it". The bill, he underlines, "is an experiment which, if it bears fruit, could be extended to other categories of workers". But what does the text foresee for the exam? Meanwhile, it is designed for all those employees who, starting from 1 January 2011, find themselves under the ordinary and extraordinary redundancy fund (Cig and Cigs), mobility and special unemployment by way of derogation. To these are added those who benefit from the ordinary non-agricultural unemployment benefit, again from the beginning of the year. For all of them, the bill provides for a division in two of the amount of social safety nets: 50% goes into the pocket of the unemployed as a form of livelihood, the other 50% is used to start a business. Therefore INPS will finance the new activity. "At present - Spadoni Urbani denounces - the data tell us that we have 500.000 layoffs". Faced with such a reality, he continues, the bill "intends to verify whether it is possible to use social safety nets in an active way, and not more passive than simple assistance". In essence, the decree "aims to promote access to self-employment". To do this, there are also a number of concessions. For example, a contribution relief is also provided if the new company hires employees on Cig, Cigs and ordinary non-agricultural unemployment benefits from 1 January 2011. To boost entrepreneurial activity, it is also envisaged that new businesses can fall under the so-called 'minimum tax payers' regime, a hypothesis in which they can access tax benefits, including a tax credit for new hires. Again, continues the PDL senator, "new businesses for the two-year period 2011-2012 can access bank loans using the guarantees of special anti-usury funds set up and managed by collective credit guarantee consortia and foundations". These special funds, recalls Ada Spadoni Urbani, "are intended to guarantee, for up to 80% of the loan granted, the banks and credit institutes that grant medium-term loans to the same companies". The provision under study should be law "soon", but with respect to the original system we have gone further with the times. Conceived for the two-year period 2011-2012, "at the moment the deadline will be missed and part of 2013 will be covered, given that the first half of 2011 has passed and the provision is not yet law". In any case, underlines the rapporteur of the text, "the period of validity of these concessions will be two years, which cannot be extended". As mentioned, this is an experiment, and "only at the end of the two years will it be seen whether this tool created favors the transition from non-work to work". Meanwhile, however, the opposition parties are giving battle: they have in fact presented various amendments that "widen the audience of categories of workers to be helped", and this is not good.