Between 2008 and 2012, business failures increased by 114%, victims of delays or non-payments by public and private clients. This was stated by the Cgia of Mestre, underlining that the public administration's debt to companies is around 120 billion euros.
"This is a photo taken on 31-12-2011, or more than a year and a half ago - explains Giuseppe Bortolussi, secretary of the Cgia -, which does not include companies with less than 20 employees which, I recall, make up the 98% of all Italian companies”.
Furthermore, the research did not involve companies operating in the health and social services sectors which, historically, are the ones where the most glaring payment delays lurk. In the light of these elements, "we believe that the amount of overdue debts estimated by the Bank of Italy is undersized by around 30 billion euro". The scientific rigor of the survey carried out by the Bank of Italy is not in question: in the methodological notes the researchers of via Nazionale have highlighted all the limits of the research.
