Road haulage: the Government is putting a further 105 million on the table to tackle high diesel prices
The Government’s supplementary budget also includes the introduction of the Italian tax on small parcels, which has been postponed until 1 January 2027
Key points
An additional 105 million for road haulage companies and a further postponement of the Italian tax on mini-parcels from outside the EU. These are the two developments announced by the Government via an amendment to the motor vehicle tax decree (Decree-Law 162/2026), which is being debated in earnest today in the Chamber of Deputies’ Finance Committee as votes are taken on the amendments. The deadline is tight: the decree, which must then be examined by the Senate, must be passed into law by 16 November.
Additional resources
The government’s amendment concerns the tax credit for high diesel prices, introduced under the first measure to tackle price rises (Decree-Law 33/2026). The latest version of the decree provided for refunds for the month of October as well, allocating 21.2 million; the new text sets the relief measures until August, refinancing them with 66.4 million.
Furthermore, the Government’s amendment adds, for expenditure from 1 September to 5 October, a separate credit facility, capped at 60 million, which may only be used to offset expenditure by 31 December 2027 ‘in view of the time required for the preliminary investigation’. In total, the resources for 2026 would rise from 21.2 to 126.4 million, representing an increase of over 105 million compared with the original draft.
The protests show no sign of stopping
The move comes as the protests continue: following yesterday’s meeting in Milan with Minister Matteo Salvini and Deputy Minister Edoardo Rixi, roadblocks have continued in Calabria, Puglia and Campania. Only in Sicily have the majority of lorry drivers called off their strike, pending the new meeting at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport on 27 October.
The Italian parcel tax from 1 January
The Government’s amendment itself sets 1 January 2027 as the date for the introduction of the €2 levy on non-EU consignments valued at under €150. Introduced in the latest budget, the levy has never come into force, having been postponed on several occasions. Meanwhile, the European tariffs have come into effect: the €3 EU tariff has been in force since 1 July, and the €2 handling fee will come into effect on 1 November. With this latest postponement, the shortfall in revenue for the state coffers increases by just over 20 million.
