After the rejection of our maneuver by the European Commission and the consequent start of the infringement procedure for excessive debt, it seems in Brussels that the hypothesis of "asking" the application of a new asset is beginning to hover.
A proposal that the coordinator of the CGIA study office, Paolo Zabeo, strongly rejects, pointing out that:
“There are already fifteen property taxes that Italians are forced to pay every year. In 2017, for example, between the Imu, the Tasi, the stamp duty, the car tax, etc., we paid 45,7 billion euros to the tax authorities. Compared to 1990, the income from possession taxes on our movable and immovable property and financial investments in nominal terms has increased by 400 percent, while inflation has grown by 90 percent. Basically, in over 25 years we have suffered a real sting “.
It should be noted that almost half of the total revenue (21,8 billion euros) is attributable to the application of the IMU / Tasi on second / third houses, on warehouses, shops and craft shops.
Compared to a few years ago, however, the revenue from property taxes is slightly down. Remember the Secretary of the CGIA, Renato Mason:
“Since 2016, in fact, families and businesses have benefited from the abolition of the Tasi on the first home, the agricultural Imu and the bolted Imu. These measures, approved by the then Renzi government, allowed us to save just over 4 billion euros per year. A slight breath of fresh air which, however, is still insufficient given that the incidence of the levy on GDP is attributable to the assets is 2,7 percent ".
The capital taxes analyzed in the 1990-2017 period were:
- Registry and substitute tax;
- Stamp duties;
- Mortgage tax;
- Land registry rights;
- Ici / IMU / Tasi;
- Car tax;
- TV Radio Fee;
- Tax on boats and aircraft;
- Tax on financial transactions;
- Tax on corporate equity;
- Taxes on succession and donations;
- Extraordinary tax on real estate;
- Extraordinary tax on deposits;
- Tax on luxury goods.
From the CGIA they point out that the property taxes are those that actually weigh on the wealth possessed by people at a given time. Wealth is understood in a broad sense and includes real estate (houses, land), movable assets (cars, motorcycles, aircraft, boats), financial investments, etc.
Usually, in tax law manuals, property taxes are classified as direct taxes.
The latter are those that directly affect the taxpayer's ability to pay without waiting for particular facts or acts to occur. While indirect taxes require, in order to be applied, the occurrence of a certain event. VAT, for example, is applied when the sale of a good or the provision of a service takes place.
Taxes on inheritance and donations, although classified as indirect taxes, are considered as a form of capital taxation, as they affect wealth. These are the only indirect taxes that tax law texts include among taxes of a financial nature.
In terms of revenue, the most demanding taxes for Italian taxpayers are the Imu and Tasi: in 2017 they guaranteed almost 21,8 billion euros to the state and municipal coffers. Car tax (€ 6,7 billion), stamp duty (€ 6,3 billion) and registration tax (€ 5,3 billion) follow.
The trend in tax revenues is marked by the establishment or the abolition of certain taxes:
- in the 1992 the revenue has grown by 7 billion, going from 11,2 billion of 1991 to 18,3 billion, with a growth of over 63 percent. In that year, to reclaim the public finances, extraordinary capital withdrawals were introduced on financial wealth, property and some luxury goods. In particular, the DL 333 / 1992 had planned an extraordinary real estate tax (ISI) and an extraordinary levy on deposits and current accounts. The ISI was calculated by applying the rate of 3 per thousand to the cadastral value of the buildings.
- The withdrawal on deposits took place on the outstanding amounts as of 9 July 1992 date with a rate of 6 per thousand. In addition, in September of the same year, a further extraordinary levy was introduced to be borne by the natural persons who owned large cars, aircraft, pleasure craft.
- In 1993, revenues increased by a further 4,8 billion euros due to the ISI's replacement with the Ici (Municipal Tax on Buildings) which, although it applied to the same tax base, provided for higher rates. Furthermore, the new corporate wealth tax also made its effects felt which, with the rate of 7,5 per thousand, was in force until 1997.
- In 2008, the decline in tax revenues was due to the Ici's abolition of the first house.
- In the 2012, the DL "Salva Italia" has strongly tightened the taxation of assets, introducing different forms of taxation:
- the IMU on real estate;
- withdrawals that involved luxury goods, such as large cars, boats and aircraft;
- the application of the proportional stamp duty on financial resources.
In the 2014 the Tasi was introduced that together with the Imu and the Tari constitute the IUC, that is the unique Municipal Tax. The assumption of the Tasi, although connected to the provision and use of municipal services, is based on the possession or possession of a building, even for residential use. Therefore, this new tax is perceived by all as a property tax and as such has been included in our list. In the 2016, finally, there was an important trend reversal: the revenue from property taxes decreased following the abolition of Tasi on the main house (remained, however, on the first luxury homes), the elimination of both the agricultural AMU and the IMU on the "bolted".