Tax credits for fisheries businesses: the implementing decree is here – who is eligible (and how)
This is a measure introduced by the Ministry of Agriculture as part of the first fuel decree, namely that of 18 March
by Lorenzo Pace
The process for tax credits for fishing businesses affected by high fuel prices is now underway. The Ministry of Agriculture has published the implementing decree in the Official Gazette, setting out the criteria and procedures for accessing the tax relief included in the first fuel decree (Decree-Law 33/2026), converted into Law No. 79 of 13 May 2026.
Beneficiaries
The text clarifies that the beneficiaries are micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the commercial fishing sector, regardless of their legal form or the accounting regime they follow. Excluded are enterprises subject to pending recovery orders for aid declared unlawful by the European Commission and those falling within the cases excluded by EU Regulation 2022/2473 on aid in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The grant covers exclusively the purchase of diesel and petrol for the operation of fishing vessels: any other use of the fuel is therefore excluded from the scope of the scheme.
Tax credits of up to 20%
The tax credit amounts to up to 20 per cent of the expenditure incurred on the purchase of fuel in March, April and May 2026, excluding VAT and supported by invoices. The overall ceiling is set at 10 million euros for 2026.
The question
Applications must be submitted exclusively via the Ministry of Agriculture’s online platform. Within ten days of the decree’s publication, the Directorate-General for Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture (Pemac) will issue a circular setting out the opening and closing dates of the application window, which must be at least thirty days.
The application must be submitted in the form of a self-certification and must include the company’s details, including the fishing vessels in its fleet, the amount of expenditure incurred between 1 March and 31 May 2026, a declaration that the fuel was used exclusively for the fishing fleet, proof of tax compliance and declarations regarding the absence of unlawful aid. Purchase invoices, payment receipts and an extract from the fuel logbook for the period covered by the grant must be attached.
