Beppe Grillo's Blog

State Sting

A taxpayer can wait up to 24 years to be reimbursed by the tax office. To get our money back the average wait is 11.3 years. According to contribuenti.it, the State has 26,000,000,000 Euro that it should give back to the citizens. And in the last three years this debt has almost doubled.
Basically anyone paying tax, if they pay too much are cuckolded and beaten. It’ll be their heirs to get the reimbursement. Those who don’t pay don’t have this problem. At the first amnesty that comes by, they get sorted out.
The fight against tax evasion announced by this government is good and just. But to make it credible it’s necessary to FIRST sort out those who have overpaid and give them back their money. Otherwise next time they could get suspicious and get transformed into tax dodgers. But why can’t the taxpayer deduct the credit from their next declaration? Is it so difficult? If they made a mistake, the tax office could check and get the money back.
In August the index of trust of Italian taxpayers fell and the index of tax evasion increased by 8.45%. It’s an obvious result with the honest getting beaten up and the dishonest getting condoned or pardoned.

The citizen that makes a mistake in the tax declaration is threatened with expropriation, denunciation, surtaxes, and fines. If the State doesn’t pay, everything is OK. As a reciprocal arrangement I propose that the State gives 30% on top of the amount due for each year of delay.

When a company or a person does not honour a debt, I can take an action against them in the courts. Why can’t I do the same with the State? Then if it weren’t able to pay, the judge could impound the furniture and the pictures of the Ministries and arrange for the sacking of a few thousand State employees. Starting with those who are in charge of tax reimbursements.

P.S. Guess how many employees there are in the Ministry of the Economy

Comments

Thank you Grillo,

I live in Italy since seven years and I never declared or fill 730 or anyother form. The reason, there was no one telling me to do so, and if I knew a little bit, everything seemed to me very very complicated.

So, what should a person like me should do?

As a foriegn Citizen, are there any particular regulations? Where can I get the right information? As many documents are in Italian, is there a place where I can find good information in English?

Thanks in advance for your collaboration.

FikdiPiacenza

Posted by: FikdiPiacenza | April 1, 2009 04:18 PM

Yeah, in Italy the state does credit interest. The problem is that it doesn't pay...

And, anyway, the official interest credited is likely to be lower than inflation.

So... don't ever think you're getting a good deal in Italy! Or even fair.

Posted by: Alessandro Fini | August 29, 2006 02:03 AM

I like enrico I got my tax refund,after few weeks,and in australia if you have a busisness and you have difficulty pay tax they allow to pay every months a tot amount,but they charge interest,fair enought,the reverse should be true, in italy I remenber was a nightmare,I am still waiting for 600 lire refound,and this was 15 years ago,I still have another 10 years to waith,luky me,:-))))))

Posted by: evakulnura | August 28, 2006 12:30 AM

Comparing the two systems (the american and the italian ones)it's not easy.
We have in Italy more welfare state, but it doesn't work, you have a wilde liberism but also more opportunities.
About taxes: nobody is happy to pay them. I must pay all because I'm an employee, but I can fill every year the 730 form and be refunded next year automatically. Other taxpayers, the self-employed worker, can fill the 740 modello unico form and they will be refunded also next year.
It must be said that to be correct that the ones who are waiting 25 years to be refunded are mostly not personal income taxpayers but value-added taxpayers or corporate income taxpayers.

Posted by: Raffaella Biferale | August 27, 2006 06:10 PM

Enrico:
In Italy people pays more taxes and they are left in a more civic darwinian pond because it looks like the period of inquisition.
In Italy less percentage is invested in the military because the rest goes into politicians and their friend's pockets while the Italians are dealing more and more with lack of jobs and loss of individual freedom.

I know it's like comparing horseshit with cowshit but shit always is.......

Posted by: Giovanni Principe | August 27, 2006 05:26 PM

Guys, if truth be told the State pays interest for delayed refunds....

Posted by: Raffaella Biferale | August 27, 2006 04:47 PM

In the US people pay less taxes, but are left fending for themselves in a primeval Darwinian pond.
Also the bulk of US taxpayer's monies is wasted on the Military. US infrastructure is crumbling, medicare is in tatters and the rich avoid taxation with impunity.

Posted by: Enrico Rossi | August 27, 2006 04:19 PM

Same here in the US.
And we pay less taxes.
I think the idea of having the government paying interest should be applied because this is what the government does when somebody doesn't pay to them.

Posted by: Giovanni Principe | August 27, 2006 03:52 PM

In Italy a taxpayer can wait up to 24 years to be reimbursed by the tax office? In Canada you get a refund cheque in the mail in three to four weeks, never longer than that. My Italian relatives think I live on a different planet when I tell them these stories...I keep repeating that the Italian motto should be: "Li ho fregati!"

Posted by: Enrico Rossi | August 27, 2006 03:44 PM