Good news has finally arrived for motorists: fine amounts have dropped by 120%, here’s why.
The Traffic Laws it’s changing. There are only a few weeks left and the long-awaited decree will come into force in our country, at least according to government estimates and in particular the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, who was the first to commit to this radical reform. After the approval of the Chamber of Deputies, only that of the Senate remains and then the decree will finally come into force, changing the lives of all Italian motorists forever.
But it’s also there another reform on which the Fratelli d’Italia government, chaired by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is working. It’s the one that concerns the tax penalty system. The objective in this case too is important, that is to reduce the severity of the sanctions for taxpayers who intend to regularize their position with the Revenue Agency and therefore with the Tax Office.
The legislative decree will be applied to all violations committed from 1 September 2024. Motorists and Italian citizens will therefore be able to say goodbye forever to “maxi-fines”. But what does the decree say in detail?
Penalties drop: details of the tax system reform
Talking about administrative sanctions (this is therefore also the case for classic fines), the reduction that will occur will be between a fifth and a third. It will go like this bring the amounts closer to European parameters. This is not always the case, however, because in the case of a violation deemed particularly serious, the amount of the fine may even increase. Anyone who is a repeat offender will suffer a fine doubled compared to the normal amount.
Then there is the case of criminal penalties. They will be mitigated for those who are unable to pay due to force majeure or for those who, after non-payment, intend to regularize their position. Strong fist against fraudulent or omission behavior, for which the sanctions will be more severe.
Penalties regarding tax returns and VAT
With regard to failure to return tax returns, maximum penalties will be reduced by amounts ranging from 240% to 120%. The penalty will be 75% for a declaration submitted more than 90 days late but before the assessments, while no modification is foreseen for the omitted declaration without taxes due, which remains between 250 euros and 1,000 euros. If the declaration is unfaithful, the fine will be fixed at 70% (with a minimum of 150 euros).
For failure to pay VAT and withholdingshowever, the amounts will not exceed 60%, compared to the previous 240%. We are therefore aiming for a fairer and more proportionate sanctioning system, which helps taxpayers who are in difficulty.
