Fuel: a pay-packet bonus under consideration. Southern Italy sees the biggest rises in diesel prices

With the thirteenth decree approved to fund the cut in excise duty on diesel only, the government is beginning to consider a way out of the quagmire of across-the-board discounts.

Following the ten-day extension decided on Wednesday 26 August by the Council of Ministers, the government is looking ahead to 6 September, when the additional VAT revenue from August will be available and it will be possible to assess the reintroduction of the variable excise duties. However, the second half of the battle against high fuel prices now calls for more targeted measures.

Among these, in recent hours, the proposal for a petrol allowance included in pay packets – which employers can claim as a business expense via fringe benefits – is gaining ground within the ruling coalition. ‘If the crisis were to continue on this scale,’ explained Marco Osnato, head of economic affairs for Fratelli d’Italia, yesterday, ‘a selective assessment will be carried out. One possibility is petrol vouchers provided by the employer, via fringe benefits. I believe this was a good idea from Deputy Minister Maurizio Leo.”

In the same vein, Forza Italia opposes the idea of helping Italians through https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/famiglie-torna-carta-dedicata-te-prima-ricarica-ottobre-AIEmeZtD">‘Dedicata a te’ card, which is currently available to just under 1.2 million people: ‘As a former mayor,’ said Alessandro Cattaneo, national head of the party’s departments, ‘I would caution against any changes to the social card’ because ‘the only way to determine income is through the ISEE, and 80 per cent of the funds go to foreign nationals. “It strikes me as an unfair and ineffective system.” This view is also shared by representatives of the Lega.

In short, the approach is to move away from blanket support schemes, as the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, also confirmed yesterday on the sidelines of the ‘La Piazza’ event currently taking place in Ceglie Messapica. ‘As regards high fuel prices, we are talking about more selective measures, targeting a specific sector or certain income brackets.’