Italy just got more expensive

• I was planning a three month stay in Italy, a very expensive stay; however the Italian goverment in all it's wisdom has decided to tax every tourist starting January 1, 2007 EUR 5 per day to enter their cities and EUR 3 to enter a comune.
  
  This has been well reported in the Corriere della Sera during the last several days. This is outrageous in the extreme. It is supposedly to cover pollution caused by the tourists or some such nonsense.
  
  The EUR 5 in U.S. funds for 3 months would cost $202.50 per month x 3 = $607.50 This cost is in addition to the VAT tax, $6 per gallon gas and the high cost of products and services in Italy. Statistics indicate something over 30 million people visit Venice alone. Do the math and you get an idea of what this venture will cost us all in additional taxes; it is a tax by any other name.
  
  Bear in mind if this becomes de rigueur througout Europe think of it's impact on business on the continent not to mention the Chinese taking on this idea to clean their own created pollution problems.
  
  Aside from the immediate impact on myself and other unsuspecting tourists it is a profoundly bad idea.
  
  Luigi
  Odessa, Fl. USA

  14 Nov 2006, 08:48 Anonymous

Replies

• Luxury taxes

  In conjunction with the above the Italian Government has proposed other rather high luxury taxes for boats, beaches and planes that impact Messieurs; Berlusconi, Briatore, British Royalty and other wealthy [perhaps not so wealthy ] folks who wish to utilize beaches and the like. This impacts the coastal areas all the way down to Sardinia.
  
  Mr. Briatore [ Mgr. of the Italian Formula One Racing Team ] recently hailed by Italy as its latest Champion per anno 2006. He managed " Schumi and Alonzo " the former and current World Champions to victory.
  
  Well, at least there are no discriminatory preferences; Italy after all is a democracy officially, that's of course the supposition; although there appears to be some taxation without representation, a somewhat silly notion we Americans abhor.
  
  When Prince Charles, William, Harry or Andrew come for dinner with Mr. Berlusconi, they may be a little surprised when the Royal Yacht is mightily taxed in the coastal waters of Sardinia.
  
  It's all in a days work, in any case.
  
  Luigi

  Anonymous 15 Nov 2006, 08:06 - Report

• Article on the subject

  In Italian:
  
  http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Economia/2005/10_Ottobre/24/tassasoggiorno.shtml

  Anonymous 15 Nov 2006, 08:11 - Report

• Italian tourist tax

  Here at least is the Corriere article substantiating in more detail the daily permesso costs. Basically Bologna has already implemented it effective June 19th 2006 the 5 euro a day tax for tourists. The other provinces will assess the tourist taxes as of Jan 1, 2007. Evidently each city or commune can levy its own Permesso di Soggiorno daily tourist tax costs. This is on top of additional taxes and costs to enter historical sites, churches and including in some areas an addded luxury levy in certain instances. Some quasi independent provinces in the south are clamoring for a still higher tax especially in the more affluent upscale tourist regions. Last but not least: Several months ago a proposal was broached by one of these regions to grant premium beach front rights for the exclusive use of certain oil producing countries and their entourage. Evidently they deemed that since they would spent more than tourists of all persuasions combined they had a democratic given right to this exclusivity. It didn't however positively impact Italy's gas prices;the highewst in Europe and indeed much of the world. This of course demonstrates democracy in action where the patricans perhaps trump the plebeians.
  
  http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Cronache/2006/08_Agosto/17/giannattasio.shtml
  
  Luigi

  Anonymous 16 Nov 2006, 02:56 - Report

• Pollution tax

  What a cheek, an American complaining about other countries causing pollution. It is so easy to use India and China as excuses for not cleaning up the pollution caused in the States. Surely you should be leading by example, not complaining that other countries are trying. High tax on gas, for example, is one way of preventing people using frivolously large cars for unneccessary journeys.

  Ex-pat Tony 16 Feb 2007, 10:30 - Report