“Failure due to excess credit. No more bad loans.” Entrepreneurs and construction workers return to the streets to ask for the unblocking of tax credits linked to the super bonus with a national demonstration scheduled for next July 2nd in Rome, at the Circus Maximus. A mobilization organized by the “National Construction Emergency” group which brings together small and medium-sized businesses that from North to South had joined the regional “Enough Stranded Credit” movements.
«We are exasperated, the situation is dramatic. In the best case scenario we find ourselves with tax drawers full of credits but without liquidity – he says Franco Carusoat the helm of a Genoese construction company for forty years and among the promoters of the protest – Many companies have already started layoffs and if the Government does not resolve the situation we will all be destined to fail.”
A story, that of stranded loans, which involves 35 thousand companies throughout Italy, around 1,500 in Liguria: companies that must collect millions of euros, resources necessary to continue construction sites but which have in fact been frozen, even for years. «I myself find myself having to suspend two construction sites in Genoa because I no longer have liquidity to pay the employees, two buildings where we were working on the facades with the 90% bonus. Construction sites already over 60% but we are no longer able to continue – says Franco Caruso – We have taken on the increase in material costs, not without difficulty, and to limit expenses we have gone from 21 to 18 employees, I had to fire three people, but it wasn’t enough. If they don’t unlock the tax credits for me and many other entrepreneurs it will be impossible to continue the business. What interest does the government have in letting thousands of companies go bankrupt in this way?”.
A protest that has been going on for some time, since 2021 when with the Anti-Fraud decree the banks no longer accepted credit from construction companies. «Until that moment the banks withheld 10% as was foreseen by the superbonus – recalls Caruso – Then things gradually got worse with institutions which I foresee withholdings of up to 25% – 30%. We entrepreneurs have only respected the law while the Government has continued to change the cards on the table, the latest only a few months ago, with the sole result that what are credits are considered critical issues as if they were debts. With our banking rating which, obviously, is not the best.”
On Tuesday from the Circus Maximus the request from the “National Construction Emergency” group to the Government will be unanimous, to unblock the situation. «They have put us in this situation and it is up to the Government to get us out and finally find a solution – concludes the entrepreneur – The trade associations will not participate in the demonstration but it is a protest that goes far beyond the professionals. What happened to the construction sector could happen to everyone.”
