The original rate, levied for a maximum of 15 years in lieu of other taxes, was introduced in 2017 in a bid to lure wealthy people from overseas, including Italians who had been tax residents elsewhere for many years.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government approved “a regulation that has made a lot of noise – the doubling of the so-called flat tax for billionaires”, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said after a cabinet meeting.
He said 1,186 super-rich individuals had transferred their residency for tax purposes to Italy since 2017, but said it was “very difficult to evaluate” how much they had invested in Italy.
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Giorgetti said the new rate – which a ministry spokesperson confirmed would only apply to new arrivals – was still attractive but said it was important that countries did not seek to compete to offer the lowest rates for high-worth individuals and companies.
“We are against starting a competition because countries like Italy, which have very limited fiscal space, are destined to lose,” he told a press conference.
Giorgetti recalled ongoing global discussions about how to make the super-rich pay more taxes, a topic which dominated a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro last month.
The ministers agreed to work together on the issue but stopped short of a more substantial deal following opposition, especially from the United States.
this is unclear. A flat tax is a certain rate. What is the rate?