From Turin to Rome, from Milan to Naples via Bologna. The final appointment with the Imu is approaching and those who live in large centers must prepare for the worst. Whether it's a first or second home, it will be the residents of the big cities who will foot the heaviest bill, in some cases even exceeding 4.000 euros.
In these days of frenetic calculations – the deadline for payment of the balance is set for December 17th – most of the attention is focused on the tax rates. In particular, the shifts decided by the mayors with respect to the standard thresholds are targeted by taxpayers. Yet these changes do not weigh on the final bill as much as the tax base. At number one in the list of culprits there are in fact the cadastral values, now completely detached from reality, because they are based on valuation rates over two decades old.
According to research by Confappi (Confederation of small real estate properties) analyzed today by Il Sole 24 Ore, Turin and Rome swap the top two positions in the first and second home rankings. The most expensive Imu ever on the main house is paid in the Piedmontese capital (1.252 euros in the semi-centre, 1.416 euros in the center, 114 euros in the suburbs), followed a short distance from capital (respectively 1.154 euros, 1.843 euros and 373 euros). To close the podium there is Napoli (828 euros, 1.023 euros and 164 euros), while Milano it is found only in ninth position (633 euros, 1.591 euros and 185 euros).
The bill becomes much more salty everywhere if we take this into consideration the second home. To open the ranking, the usual couple: first Roma (2.869 euros, 4.332 euros and 1.214 euros), second Torino (2.679 euros, 2.980 euros and 579 euros). In this case, third place is placed Bologna (2.538 euros, 3.035 euros and 1.407 euros), while Milano it climbs up to fourth position (2.207 euros, 4.746 euros and 1.021 euros). Fifth Napoli (2.180 euros, 2.594 euros and 773 euros).
Now we come to the infamous one tax base. To calculate it, it is necessary to start from the cadastral income associated with the property on January 5st of the current year and revalue it by 160%. The number obtained must be multiplied by a coefficient which varies according to the type of property: 80 for homes, 55 for offices, XNUMX for shops.
The real problem is that the values that can be obtained from the Land Registry have very little probability. Firstly because the current system uses the number of rooms, not the square meters, as a unit of measurement for estimating properties. This means that – in the eyes of the Tax Authorities – the value of a small house with four rooms is higher than that of a larger house divided into three rooms. Naturally, the market doesn't think that way.
But that's not enough. The figures that are still taken into consideration today were calculated at the end of the 80s. Too much time has passed to think that those numbers are still realistic: not only because house prices have risen several times, but also because landlords they may have intervened on the property, perhaps greatly increasing its market value.
It is therefore not surprising that the reform of the Land Registry is among the first points of the fiscal delegation entrusted to the government. The goal is to bring tax values closer to house prices, so as to make the levy more equitable. Unfortunately it will still take years. The next Imu deadline, however, is less than a month away.
