There are 3,3 million "invisible workers" who every day go to the fields, construction sites, warehouses or homes of Italians to lend their work. Although unknown to INPS, Inail and the tax authorities, the economic effects that these subjects produce are important and very heavy. According to the latest estimates drawn up by the CGIA Studies Office, this army of illegal immigrants generates 77,3 billion in black turnover per year, subtracting revenue of 42,6 billion euros from the tax authorities. An amount, the latter, equal to more than 40 percent of the annual tax evasion estimated by the technicians of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
It is not only the treasury coffers that lose out, but also the many productive and service activities, the artisanal and commercial enterprises that often suffer unfair competition from these subjects. These undeclared workers, in fact, not being subject to social security contributions, insurance and tax contributions allow the companies where they work - or themselves, if they operate on the market as false self-employed workers - to benefit from a much lower labor cost and consequently, to charge a very low final price of the product / service. Obviously, services that those who comply with the provisions of the law are unable to offer.
“In the South, for example, where the presence is widespread - affirms the coordinator of the CGIA Studies Office Paolo Zabeo - we can affirm that the undeclared is also a real social safety net. Let me be clear, no one wants to justify undeclared work closely linked with unacceptable forms of illegal hiring, exploitation and lack of safety in the workplace. However, when these forms of irregularities are not linked to activities controlled by criminal organizations or to the cases just mentioned, they constitute, in difficult moments, a parachute for many unemployed or retired people who otherwise would not know how to reconcile lunch with dinner ". Three million people, we said, made up of employees who do the second / third job, of redundant or pensioners who supplement their meager income or of unemployed who, waiting to return to the labor market, survive "thanks" to the proceeds attributable to a irregular activity. To counter this phenomenon, the reintroduction of vouchers could be a first response.
“The vouchers - affirms the secretary of the CGIA Renato Mason - were conceived by the legislator to bring out the small illegal jobs. If in some sectors there has been a completely unjustified use of this tool, paradoxically the problem of vouchers is not attributable to their excessive use, but, on the contrary, to having been used very little, especially in the South, where unemployment is very high and illegal and undeclared activities have very worrying dimensions. Eliminating them, therefore, was a mistake. Therefore, they must absolutely be reintroduced, especially in agriculture, tourism, in sectors where seasonality is strong and among artisan micro enterprises ".
In addition to vouchers, obviously, to counter this phenomenon there is a need, in particular, to lower taxes and social security contributions, to reduce the administrative burden and to incentivize dissuasive measures and stimulus to emergence, supporting, above all, the control activity performed by the bodies in charge. Not to mention, finally, that it is necessary to implement a great educational operation in all social areas to promote the culture of legality.
Returning to the figures that emerged from the elaboration, the region most at "risk" is Calabria which has 146 illegal workers, but a percentage incidence of the added value from irregular work on the regional GDP equal to 9,9 per cent. A result that is almost double the national average (5,2 percent). This situation, according to the elaboration of the CGIA, translates into almost 1,6 billion euros of lost revenue for the state from Calabria. Campania follows, which with 382.900 irregular work units "produces" a "black" GDP that weighs on the official one for 8,8 percent. The taxes that are lacking on average in Campania amount to 4,4 billion euros per year. In third place in this particular ranking we find Sicily: with 312.600 illegal immigrants and a weight of the underground economy on the total equal to 8,1 per cent, unpaid taxes and contributions are close to 3,5 billion euros per year. . The territory least affected by the presence of the underground economy is Veneto: the 199.400 undeclared workers "cause" 5,2 billion euros of undeclared added value (equal to 3,8 per cent of the regional GDP) which subtract almost 2,9 , XNUMX billion euros.