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Italy extends energy bill discount and petrol tax cuts

The Italian government has outlined plans to lessen the impact of the cost of living crisis, from extending energy bill discounts to cuts on fuel excise duties.

Published: 3 May 2022 16:16 CEST
The French government has published guidelines on what to do if you are struggling to pay your energy bills.
The Italian government is expected to extend funding for energy bills and discounts on fuel taxes. Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP

Italy approved a much-awaited set of financial measures on Monday to curb the soaring cost of living, driven by energy and fuel price hikes.

The stimulus package drawn up by Italy’s prime minister Mario Draghi is aimed at combatting the knock-on effects of the conflict in Ukraine, reportedly worth around 14 billion euros – double what was previously budgeted for.

READ ALSO: How to save money on your fuel in Italy

Energy bill payers will be able to take advantage of a government discount on gas and electricity bills for a further three months, as the government has extended the current ‘Social bonus for electricity and gas’ or ‘Bonus sociale energia elettrica e gas’ to the third quarter of 2022.

Energy bills have soared over the past year fuelled by the surging cost of gas imports, hitting a record in January. This has only been made worse since Russia invaded Ukraine, as Italy is more dependent on Russian imports of natural gas for energy than most of its European neighbours and produces very little of it within the country.

READ ALSO: Italy will ‘soon’ stop buying gas from Russia, says minister

In response, Italian authorities passed a new law in March for the second quarter of the year, aimed at lowering utility bills for those on lower incomes.

The bonus’s eligibility criteria had also been amended so that all homeowners with an ‘ISEE’, an indicator of household wealth, (Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente) lower than €12,000 can benefit from the energy bill discount.

That marked an increase on the previous ISEE limit of around €8,000, meaning more bill payers can offset their energy bills – now, until September 2022.

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The government has also extended its previous cuts to fuel excise duties to July 8th. The move had been introduced in late March to put a brake on soaring pump prices, when petrol surged to highs of over €2 per litre.

In this case, the excise duty will fall to “zero euros per cubic metre” and there will be a reduction in VAT to 5 percent – previously 22 percent – while a cut to the price of methane is also expected.

The financial moves are included in the government’s new energy and investment decree (decreto energia e investimenti), which is yet to be published in its final version.

Draghi said the package is intended to “protect the purchasing power of families and the most vulnerable, and companies’ production capacity”.

“The measures will fight the higher cost of living. The price spiral depends on a large part on the cost of energy,” he added.

“And that means that is a temporary situation which has to be confronted with exceptional instruments.”

Also included in the upcoming decree is a cash bonus of €200 for around 28 million Italians with annual earnings of less than €35,000 for both workers and pensioners, in a bid to curb the rising cost of living.

In other measures, Italian authorities extended the building ‘superbonus 110’, to give homeowners more time to claim government aid for delayed renovation works.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, the Italian government has already set aside some €15.5 billion for various economic relief measures. With the latest round of financial help, the country is expected to inject a total of two percentage points of GDP into the economy by the end of 2022.

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TAXES

How much should you pay your Italian accountant to do your taxes?

Italian taxes are notoriously difficult to navigate and even trickier to deal with yourself, meaning you may want to turn to a 'commercialista' for help. But how much should you pay for their services?

Published: 18 September 2024 12:42 CEST
How much should you pay your Italian accountant to do your taxes?

If you ask someone in Italy who a commercialista is, you may get several different answers: accountant, consultant, financial advisor or administrator.

In fact, they can be all of these at once as, along with the patronati, they’re residents’ first port of call when dealing with the complex bureaucratic processes surrounding almost anything official in the country.

Commercialisti are also the people who can file and submit your yearly tax returns for you. 

If you live in Italy or generate income in the country, you’ll likely need to file your taxes once a year during the so-called dichiarazione dei redditi (‘income declaration’). 

Unlike in other European countries, where it’s fairly easy for taxpayers to file tax returns independently, doing this can be very tricky in Italy, not least because of the complicated language being used. 

And mistakes can cost you dearly as the Italian taxman could charge you hundreds or even thousands of euros if you submit late, forget some details or enter the wrong information.

That’s why many around Italy choose to hire a commercialista. But how much should you pay for their services?

Overview

Commercialista fees can vary greatly depending on the type of services you need and the complexity of your financial situation.

If you’re an employee with a single source of income and are seeking help with filing taxes, or claiming tax deductions or incentives, fees will be on the low end of the spectrum. 

But if you have multiple sources of income, or have foreign income or assets and are subject to taxation in multiple countries, the commercialista will need expertise in international tax law, which may significantly raise costs.

READ ALSO: The Italian tax calendar for 2024: Which taxes are due when?

If you are a freelancer or the owner of a small business, you may need monthly consulting and regular services such as bookkeeping and VAT reporting. In this case, services may be bundled in an annual package. 

Finally, if you own a large business or corporation, you may need to hire more than one commercialista to deal with payroll management, VAT declarations, and corporate tax filings. 

Please note that the cost of a commercialista can also vary by region as prices tend to be higher in large metropolitan areas such as Milan or Rome, while you may find particularly advantageous rates in small towns and less populated areas around the country. 

Annual tax returns

According to financial advice platform Fiscozen, income tax filing services generally start at €120 but can rise to over €700 depending on your personal situation.

Generally speaking, tax filing fees are higher if you’re a VAT number holder (or partita Iva) as this entails more work on the part of the commercialista (think of all the invoices issued and claimable VAT detractions) compared to an employed individual or pensioner.

Paying taxes

Most types of taxes in Italy (from income to property taxes to waste collection charges) must be paid by completing and submitting form F24 (modello F24) with Italy’s tax office.  

A commercialista can do this for you, with services costing between €15 and €30 per form, according to online investment advisor Moneyfarm. 

Registering a new business

Freelancers and business owners in Italy are required to register with Italy’s tax office by getting a VAT number (known as partita Iva). 

If you’re starting out as a freelancer, hiring a commercialista to get your personal VAT number and set up an electronic invoicing system on your behalf will cost you €150 on average, according to Fiscozen.

Fees will be higher if you’re starting a new business as this generally involves more paperwork and compliance with a number of tax requirements. 

In this case, a commercialista’s services may cost anything between €300 and €500, though you’ll also have to factor in the payment of a number of taxes (including up to €200 for the Certified Start of Business Report, or SCIA). 

‘Year-long administration’

As mentioned earlier, if you are a freelancer or a business owner, you may need monthly consulting services, as well as regular bookkeeping, VAT reporting and – if you have employees – payroll management. 

In this case, commercialista services may be bundled in a gestione annuale (‘year-long administration’) package. 

According to Fiscozen, a 12-month package for freelancers operating under Italy’s flat tax scheme costs €60 a month on average (€720 a year). 

But costs can be much higher for freelancers working under the so-called regime ordinario (‘ordinary regime’) and business owners. 

In this case, you may pay anything from €2,000 to €4,000 a year depending on: number of clients, business size and number of employees (if applicable).

How can I find a commercialista?

All commercialisti in Italy must be registered with national association CNCDEC (Consiglio Nazionale dei Dottori Commercialisti e degli Esperti Contabili). 

The association’s website gives you the option to look for registered professionals in your area (see an example via the screen grab below).

A screen grab of the search tool on Italy's national 'commercialisti' association's website

A screen grab of the search tool on Italy’s national ‘commercialisti’ association’s website. Source: Consiglio Nazionale dei Commercialisti

As with most things in Italy however, word of mouth is key, so make sure to ask friends and family for recommendations if you can.

Alternatively, online forums and message boards for foreign nationals in Italy often share names of professionals that are particularly experienced in international tax law.

Finally, you can also find a list of commercialisti working in your area in Italy’s pagine gialle (Yellow Pages). 

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