LUCCA. Wealth is growing in Lucca, incomes are up in all municipalities (except one), in some cases with double-digit increases. But in the towns that make up Piana, Mediavalle and Garfagnana, there are still 57,762 citizens who live with an income of less than 15 thousand euros gross per year, while the “rich” – that is, those who earn more than 120 thousand euros – represent less than 1% of the population. Eight out of ten people who pay taxes are employees (5 out of 10) and pensioners (3 out of 10). The richest municipality in the area? It is not Lucca, but Montecarlo, immediately behind Barga. The capital is third. The poorest, however, is Careggine, followed by Fabbriche where half of the taxpayers are pensioners.
These are some curiosities that emerge from the analysis of the 2023 tax returns, relating to the 2022 fiscal year. They were published in recent days by the Department of Finance and highlight a growth in the overall income produced in the territories still the result of the economic “rebound” post-pandemic and therefore highlight growing values almost everywhere compared to 2021. The data we report in the table relates to the income declared gross of tax relief (deductions and deductions) which must be applied to find the taxable base on which it is then the Irpef rate is applied. Let’s try to understand something more from these numbers.
Let’s start with the context. The first thing to look at is the per capita income, a sort of measure of the wealth of the “average citizen” of each municipality. In Tuscany the total taxable income is slightly higher than 61 billion with approximately 2,770,000 taxpayers, while the average income per capita is 24,300 euros. Lucca, the capital city and therefore also the one with the highest number of taxpayers (67,108), is above the Tuscan average, with a total income per capita of 25,657 euros, up 3.9% compared to last year. The city, however, loses its primacy in the area. Leaving aside Versilia, where Forte dei Marmi is fifth in Italy with 41,213 euros gross, the city of the tree-lined circle is overtaken by Barga (27,772 euros) and above all by Montecarlo (28,500 euros). The Municipalities of Piana and Mediavalle are also those that recorded the greatest increase compared to 2021: +28.72% Barga and 27.13% Montecarlo. In absolute terms they are equivalent to an average increase of 6 thousand euros for each taxpayer. Explaining the reason for this “surge” is not simple. However, it can be said that in small municipalities (Barga has 7 thousand taxpayers, Monte Carlo just over 3 thousand), the arrival of a single “large taxpayer” is enough to affect these averages: for example the incomes of a VIP or a large industrial, out of scale compared to those of other residents, alone can raise the average per capita income of the Municipality. In fourth place goes Porcari (24,716 euros, +13%) and fifth place Capannori (24,475 euros, 9.8%).
* Source Department of Finance, total income for fiscal year 2022 before deductions and deductions
