The final battle on liberalizations begins. After days of clashes between the government and the lobbies, the decisive week for the cresci-Italia decree finally opens. The amendments have been filed and the Senate Industry Commission will today give the green light to the provision, which will arrive in the Chamber at Palazzo Madama on Wednesday. All the changes established so far should flow into a maxi-amendment. In these hours the professional categories attempt the final assault on the Executive, in the hope of snatching some further concessions in extremis. The government is ready to rise up against them the shield of trust, but not even this tool – already used repeatedly – will secure the text definitively.
The last hurdles to overcome are party resistance – sided in favor of one or the other corporation – which will probably still fuel the controversy during the discussion. With the question of trust, the outcome of the vote should be taken for granted, but there are still three parliamentary steps to be taken before final approval, which should arrive by March 24th.
Here are the hottest topics still being discussed:
IMU TO THE CHURCH, BUT SCHOOLS DON'T PAY
Last Friday, the government presented it to the Senate committee an amendment to cut exemptions from the new single municipal tax which benefits non-commercial entities, including the Church. Only properties in which a non-commercial activity takes place exclusively will not pay, while for "mixed" ones the exemption will be limited to the fraction of the property dedicated to worship.
The news had an immediate political echo. It was above all the exponents of the PDL who raised the tone against a possible taxation of Catholic schools with equivalent status. And in the end the Executive reassured the CEI. “For schools it is necessary to clarify – said Prime Minister Mario Monti today -. Those who carry out activities in a non-commercial manner are exempt from the Imu”. Basically, in order not to pay, educational institutions must satisfy two simple requirements: they must be open to all and must not generate profits.
PENSIONS: FREE ACCOUNT UP TO 1.500 EUROS, BUT THE BANKS DON'T FIT
For now, the rule that allows pensioners to open a bank account free of charge (no opening or management costs), provided they do not receive checks exceeding 1.500 euros per month. Credit institutions have railed against this measure – which benefits the interests of around 850 low- and medium-low-income pensioners, who estimate the impact of the new measure on their balance sheets at one billion a year.
THE STOCK OF PHARMACIES
The clash over new pharmacies does not subside. Everything is played on numbers: the decree established the opening of five thousand new establishments, thus reaching a proportion of one for every 3.000 inhabitants. The Pd would like this threshold to be respected, while the Pdl would like to raise it to 3.500, to the happiness of Federfarma. Some in Parliament have gone so far as to ask for a quorum of 3.800. It is possible that a compromise will eventually be reached, setting the ratio at 3.300.
TAXI: AUTHORITY TO THE MAYORS, BUT THE AUTHORITY MAY APPLY TO THE TAR
Confirmed the rule gives the mayors the power to establish the number of new licenses to be granted. However, the first citizens will have to act on the basis of the directives of the new Transport Authority, which will be born at the end of May. The Authority will also be able to appeal to the Tar if the Municipalities do not apply the new law. “There could be a strengthening of the Authority's powers, acting on the substitutive powers”, said the rapporteur Filippo Bubbico (Pd), on the sidelines of the work in the Senate Industry Committee.
PROFESSIONALS, RUN BACK ON ESTIMATIONS
In the end the Government gave in to the pressure of the most powerful categories. The latest version of cresci-Italia no longer requires professionals (lawyers, notaries, architects…) to prepare a written estimate for customers who request it. Now the text says in a much more general way that the fee must be disclosed "in advance" and with "a rough estimate".
CORPORATE COURTS RISE TO 20
The company courts established with the cresci-Italia increase from 12 to 20. The new sections – born from the conversion of other sections already present in some courts – will deal with disputes on industrial property, unfair competition, copyright, class actions and lawsuits between partners. Lombardy will be the only region to have two: in Milan and Brescia. Turin and Venice will be responsible for Valle D'Aosta and Trentino Alto Adige respectively.
SRL FOR UNDER 35, THE NOTARY IS FREE
Young people under 35 will be able to start limited liability companies by paying a symbolic price of one euro, to which not even notary fees will be added. The public deed will remain mandatory, but in these cases the notaries will be forced to work for free.
