Superbonus, Giorgetti: stop invoice discount and credit transfer. Lazio Region, appeal to Meloni for earthquake areas

The government is rushing to remedy the risks of new account overruns by the Superbonus and tax and energy bonuses. "Regulations that were born in a senseless way and have produced devastating results for public finance," says Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti without mincing words. 'Someone was smiling about the bellyache,' he adds, 'I confirm that it hurts all Italians very much. Thus the Council of Ministers surprisingly approved a new decree on building bonuses, which was taken out of the bag.

The discount on the invoice disappears, the advance declaration arrives, offsets with the Ace tax relief (which concerns companies) are blocked, and credits are first offset against any 'files' of tax assessments. The measures,' says Giorgetti clearly, 'are intended to put a definitive end to the excessive generosity' of the measure. In fact a tombstone on future risks and whose current effects 'we will be able to definitively account for in a few days when the window for all invoices and work carried out by 31 December 2023 is loaded'.

The decision comes in view of the new forecasts that the government will make shortly with the Def, in April, and for which Eurostat's assessment of the criteria for accounting for bonuses is also awaited. Rumours speak of further overruns of 10 billion. "The bill is already very high," Giorgetti admits, reiterating the alarms already raised in the past, "Even if some people are enthusiastic about it, the price for public finance and debt will weigh heavily for several years to come. The objective of this decree is to put a final point on the impact on 2023, subject to the final assessments by Eurostat'.

Giorgetti outlined the measures: all types of invoice discount and credit assignment have been eliminated for all types that still provided for it, not only for the superbonus. The regularisation 'in bonis', with mini-penalties, foreseen for non-communication up to 15 October, is also eliminated. Then there is the preventive communication 'to have an advance monitoring of the phenomenon and not only when the invoices are loaded'. Credits, then, will be subtracted first from 'debts', i.e., from the roles entered in the tax bills on a definitive basis. And then comes a new limitation that blocks a fraud mechanism that has just been identified: 'There is the limitation of the assignment of the Ace credit (Aid for Economic Growth granted to companies, ed.) because we have begun to notice fraudulent use on this facilitation that, moreover, is eliminated by the tax reform'.

The Lazio Region is appealing to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni regarding the Council of Ministers' decision on the termination of the 'enhanced contribution' benefits for the areas hit by the earthquake. "After a discussion with the government's extraordinary commissioner, Guido Castelli, we ask the Council of Ministers for a step backwards. A few days ago we celebrated the start of the 'super construction site' in Amatrice. The cessation of the contribution comes unexpectedly and in the phase of restarting to restore life to the areas destroyed by the earthquake," explain President Francesco Rocca and Councillor for Reconstruction Policies Manuela Rinaldi.