As the budget bill takes shape, tax relief on thirteenth-month bonuses and confirmation of the maternity bonus are on the cards

Work has now begun on the ‘manovra’, the Meloni government’s latest Budget Bill. And with autumn approaching, a succession of proposals are being examined by the government’s technical experts and the majority parties. The path to follow has been laid out by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who has identified measures supporting employment and families as the priorities to be consolidated. Marco Osnato (Fdi), Chair of the Chamber of Deputies’ Finance Committee, spoke along the same lines in an interview with ilSussidiario.net during the Rimini Meeting.

According to Osnato, in 2027 ‘the tax exemption on pay rises resulting from contract renewals and the maternity bonus must be renewed. The 1 per cent tax on productivity bonuses is already in place for 2027, whilst the newborn bonus, the nursery bonus and support for essential expenses must be maintained’. Under the latest budget, the ‘mums’ bonus’ has risen from 40 to 60 euros per month for employed mothers (excluding domestic workers) and self-employed working mothers registered with compulsory self-employed social security schemes (including occupational pension funds and the separate scheme) with two children, up to the month in which the second child turns 10, and whose income from employment is less than 40,000 euros per annum. For businesses, Osnato added, ‘we must ensure the new hyper-depreciation scheme and the ZES tax credit – already planned until 2028 – are fully operational, support research and innovation, and strengthen development contracts. The Nuova Sabatini scheme already has 450 million earmarked for 2027: we must ensure that this is quickly translated into new investment by SMEs, increasing the funding allocation should demand exceed the available resources.”

Another measure under consideration is the exemption of the thirteenth-month bonus from tax, to which no payroll deductions apply. “Replacing the standard personal income tax with a tax rate of 15 per cent or 10 per cent,” said Osnato, “would result in a net saving on take-home pay of between 200 and 500 euros, depending on income.” For the middle class, the last budget reduced income tax from 35 per cent to 33 per cent on the bracket between 28,000 and 50,000 euros. ‘One initial proposal,’ continued the Chair of the Chamber of Deputies’ Finance Committee, ‘is to continue along this path by extending the 33 per cent rate up to 60,000 euros, with an additional benefit of up to 1,000 euros and a cost of around 3 billion. It is also possible to further reduce the rates for the lowest income brackets or to combine the various measures. A one-point reduction in the current tax bracket would cost approximately 1.5 billion and provide a benefit of up to 220 euros.”

Still on the subject of wage support, the government is also considering extending the 15 per cent tax rate on allowances and pay supplements into next year. Under the previous budget, it was stipulated that, for the 2026 tax year, sums paid – up to an annual limit of 1,500 euros – to private-sector employees, in the form of: allowances and supplements for night work (Article 1, paragraph 2, of Legislative Decree 66/2003 and the National Collective Labour Agreements); surcharges and allowances for work carried out on public holidays and weekly rest days (as specified in the National Collective Labour Agreements); shift allowances and additional remuneration relating to shift work (as provided for in the National Collective Labour Agreements). Also under the 2026 Budget Law, the 15 per cent supplementary allowance on gross pay for night work and overtime on public holidays carried out from 1 January to 30 September 2026 has been reintroduced. In this case too, an extension is reportedly being considered.