Phase two officially begins. Yesterday the Monti government passed the Development bis decree, by Minister Corrado Passera. The text arrived at the Council of Ministers is made up of 38 articles, less than half compared to the 86 of the draft in circulation in mid-September. The main fields of intervention, however, are those foreseen: digital agenda, start-ups, infrastructures, payments with electronic money and motor liability.
DIGITAL AGENDA
The provision deals with the chapter of the digital gap, confirming the allocation of 150 million in 2013 for the development of broadband and facilitating the implementation of infrastructures: the communication operator, during the development phase of its fiber optic network, will be able "in any case, access all the common parts of the buildings to install, connect and proceed with the maintenance of all the network elements". The Agency for Digital Italy (Aid) will have the task of promoting the definition and development of large strategic projects related to the implementation of the digital agenda.
The decree aims to modernize and streamline the public administration, making it "digital" through the mandatory transmission of documents electronically between various public administrations, as well as between the PA and private individuals. From the 2013-2014 academic year, state and private universities will have to compile the student's electronic file with all the documents, deeds and data on the student's career, including periods of study abroad for mobility. Digitization also includes the health sector, which will see the birth of the digital medical record, and that of justice, given that in civil proceedings communications by the chancellery must be made exclusively electronically to the certified email address resulting from public lists or in any case accessible to public administrations.
Finally, the "unified digital document" was born, which combines the electronic identity card and the health card, and, to speed up the administrative computerization process, the establishment of the National Registry of the resident population, which will automatically acquire all data contained in the various registers existing today.
START UP
There are various incentives for the creation of new innovative businesses, for which precise requirements are set, such as the fact that the majority of the shares belong to natural persons, that they have been operational for no more than 48 months and that have an annual production of no more than 5 million and without ever having distributed profits, but above all investing more than 30% of the greater value between the cost and the total value of production in research, or, alternatively, employing at least a third of the total workforce with PhDs.
These companies will therefore be entitled to a series of facilitations: they will not have to pay registration and stamp duty and will be able to postpone by one financial year the deadline within which, according to company law, the capital must be reconstituted if the losses are equal to a third of the share capital. They will then be able to raise widespread capital (so-called crowdfunding) through special online portals, while, on the tax front, natural persons who invest in the capital of an innovative start-up will be able to deduct 19% of the sum from their gross income tax over the next three years.
Start-ups will also enjoy benefits on the employment front: hires with fixed-term contracts can last up to 36 months, with the possibility of a further renewal up to 48 months, and will not be subject to the additional contribution of 1,4% planned to finance ASPI.
TAX CREDIT FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
Tax credit on Ires and Irap, to the extent necessary to achieve the balance of the economic-financial plan and in any case within the limit of 50% of the investment cost, in favor of builders to facilitate infrastructures exceeding 500 million in value. Desk Italia is also born, the one-stop shop for attracting foreign investments, which should become a single stable coordination point for foreign entrepreneurs interested in committing resources to strategic projects for Italy.
MANDATORY ATM SINCE 2014
The decree also confirmed the issue of traceability in payments: from 2014 merchants and professionals will be obliged to accept payments "with debit cards", or ATMs, but the discussion on the establishment of the minimum threshold is postponed to a "subsequent ministerial decree" .
INSURANCE
Important measures also in the insurance field, in particular against insurance fraud and in favor of competition: the creation of IVASS, the Institute for the supervision of private and collective interest insurance which replaced Isvap, and the tacit renewal of motor liability policies. Through a subsequent ministerial decree, the government also wants to define a "basic contract" scheme with all the clauses necessary for the fulfillment of compulsory insurance.
