Go-ahead from the Government for Citizenship Income and quota 100. With a press conference similar to a "show", which lasted well over the twenty minutes needed for the Council of Ministers to approve the so-called "decreeton", the Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, and the two Deputy Prime Ministers Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini announced the Government's go-ahead to the two main measures promised by the 5 Star Movement and the Lega in the electoral campaign.
The two measures will have to pass the scrutiny of Parliament, making a real tour de force in order to be able to meet the deadlines established by the Government: applications in March, disbursement starting in April. One goal: to make both the basic income and the quota for 100 workers before the European elections, at which time both parties expect to receive a large "thank you" from the voters who will go to the polls.
The problem is that in both cases, the work still to be done is abnormal and the time required to prepare the car is extremely tight, especially on basic income. However, Di Maio has no intention of giving up on the quarterly program dictated by the need not to show up at the polls with a broken promise: the site dedicated to the measure will have to arrive in February, March will instead be the time for submitting applications, April for disbursement through the appropriate Rdc cards. In this context: the Government will have to coordinate the work of dozens of bodies, instruct the employment centers and Cafs, reach an agreement with the Regions. It will start on Monday, when the Deputy Prime Minister and Labor Minister will meet the representatives of the regional bodies in order to explain to them what they will have to do in practice and in the shortest possible time.
CITIZENSHIP INCOME: THE NEWSÀ ANNOUNCED BY DI MAIO
During the press conference for the presentation of basic income and quota 100, Luigi Di Maio was unable to contain his enthusiasm, explaining the key points of the measure he had promised for over a year. The so-called citizenship pensions should not be underestimated either, which will go "from 780 to 1.032 euros", explained the deputy prime minister. Those who open a business, on the other hand, will be granted "up to 16 months of basic income to start it up". Applications to receive income can be presented "from March" and the funds will be disbursed "from April with very normal postepay". “There will be anti-couch rules, no one will be able to abuse the income,” he added, and “whoever does not spend the money within the month will lose it”.
CITIZENSHIP INCOME BECOMES AN ACTIVE POLICY FOR WORK
Before dwelling on the changes, it is also necessary to highlight another aspect, which is more relevant from a political point of view than from a substantive one. If in the decree the basic income is described as “single measure to combat poverty, to inequality and social exclusion, to guarantee the right to work, the free choice of work", in the slides with which the Government presented the provision, it becomes "a measure of reintegration into the world of work which serves to supplement family income. A not insignificant political distinction aimed at putting aside that vision - also shared by some members of the League - which sees the citizen's income as an essentially "welfare" measure, embracing instead the line of "active policies for the work”, much less indigestible especially in the north of the country. Not surprisingly, the same slides show three objectives, giving priority to the "employment" aspect:
- Improving the match between labor supply and demand;
- Increase employment;
- Tackling poverty and inequality.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN: Citizenship income, here is the decree: the guide in 9 points
CITIZENSHIP INCOME: WHAT CHANGES
The general structure of the measure, compared to the draft decree circulated 10 days ago, remains essentially the same. However, small details have been included that those who want to access the benefit must take into consideration.
As for the rules, let's summarize the main points:
- compared to the previous decree, the new version specifies that, in order to receive the basic income, households must possess “jointly” the required requisites, i.e. residing in Italy for at least 10 years (of which at least the last two continuous); have an ISEE of less than 93.60 euros per year, real estate assets, other than the first home, up to 30 thousand euros, and financial assets of a maximum of 6 thousand euros. The requirements on cars, motorcycles and boats remain: those who own a vehicle registered 6 months before the request will not be able to access the benefit.
- The definitive decree satisfies the League and also specifies theand rules valid for the disabled. In detail, the financial assets of households containing a disabled person could reach up to 20 euros. As specified by Di Maio, 255 thousand (out of 1,4 million) families with disabilities will have access to basic income.
CITIZENSHIP INCOME: THE ANTI-SOFA RULES
The anti-sofa rules that everyone is talking about are none other than the rules relating to duration and the rules relating to job offers. Citizenship income will last 18 months, renewable.
Establish three different deadlines that connect to the job offers to be accepted or rejected:
- within the first 12 months, the first job offer can arrive within a radius of 100 km. If the second offer is rejected, it can arrive within a radius of 250 km and if this too is rejected, the 3rd offer can arrive from all over Italy;
- after the 1st year, the radius of the first offer is moving away and it too can reach up to 250km, while the 3rd can arrive from all over the national territory;
- after 18 months all offers can come from all over the country.
Again, distinctions are made for families with disabled people: job offers cannot in any case exceed a distance of 250 km from the place of residence.
CITIZENSHIP INCOME: THE AMOUNTS
On the amounts, all confirmed. With an Isee equal to zero, each applicant will be entitled to receive 500 euros per month (6 thousand euros a year) of "income support". However, if you also pay rent, you will receive (in addition to the 500 euros) up to 280 euros more per month. If, on the other hand, he pays a mortgage, the additional sum could reach 150 euros a month (1.800 euros a year). Beneficiaries will also have access to discounted electricity and gas tariffs. However, the share of income integration decreases on the basis of the ISEE or increases on the basis of an equivalence scale linked to the members of the family nucleus. For example, an adult with a dependent minor will have as a supplement not 500, but 600 euros, with two minors it rises to 700, 800 euros with two adults and a minor; up to 1.050 euros in the case of three adults and two minors. To these figures it will then be necessary to add any rent or mortgage contribution.
CITIZENSHIP INCOME: THE THREE AGREEMENTS
There will not be two, as previously specified, the pacts envisaged for those who receive the basic income:
- The contract for work, to be signed with the employment center for those who are already trained;
- the training agreement, to be signed with bilateral, inter-professional training bodies or directly with companies, for those who need further training;
- the social inclusion pact for those who are unable to work. Employment centers and social services will be involved. The beneficiaries will have to carry out 8 hours a week of useful work for the community established by the Municipalities.
The decree specifies that the following are exempt from signing the Employment Pact and the Inclusion Pact: "individuals with disabilities that do not allow access to the world of work and people who assist children under the age of 3 or non self-sufficient individuals" .
CITIZENSHIP INCOME: ENTERPRISES AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
A company that hires those who benefit from the citizen's income with a permanent contract will obtain from 5 to 18 months of the citizen's income that would have been due to the unemployed in the form of tax relief. The relief cannot exceed 780 euros per month. In the event of dismissal of the beneficiary that is not for just cause or justified reason, the company will have to return the increased incentive,
The training institutions and companies involved in the "training agreement", in case of hiring consistent with the training profile, will receive half of the incentive given to the hiring company.
Beneficiaries of basic income who decide instead to open a business or self-employment within the first 12 months will be able to count on an additional benefit of 6 months' salary.
CITIZENSHIP INCOME: RESOURCES FOR EMPLOYMENT CENTERS FALL
This is one of the key aspects. One of the strongest doubts relating to the citizen's income concerns the ability of employment centers to cope with the amount of work that will arrive with the start of the citizen's income. Originally a real reform of these bodies was envisaged. In this regard, the 2019 Budget Law allocated up to one billion euros (already considered not sufficient for 2019 and 2020) in order to strengthen the cdp.
The final decree, on the other hand, halves the disbursements envisaged for employment centres: 473 million (maximum) in 2019 and 44 million for 2020. The arrival of 6 "navigators" hired by Anpal Servizi is also expected, with 200 million for the 2019, 250 million for 2020 and 50 million euros for 2021.
CITIZENSHIP PENSIONS: WATCH OUT FOR THE NEW THRESHOLDS
News also on citizenship pensions: the final version of the decree raises the age requirement for access: no longer 65, but 67 years old. We remind you that the beneficiaries will have an income supplement of 630 euros (which rises to 882 euros for two members), plus 150 euros per month for the rent.
For foreigners residing in Italy for over 20 years, however, they only have a limited residence permit, do they have the right to basic income?