CARRARA. In recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about taxation and average values, also following the investigation by Report “Il marmo della Dichessa” and then following it the following Sunday. On the subject we interviewed the manager of the marble office, Giuseppe Bruschiand the mayor Serena Arrighi.
Let’s take an exemplary case, the quarry with the highest average value, Ruggetta quarry, 671 euros per ton. We would like to remind you, please, how we came to establish that over the course of a year, 1% of the total excavation is a healthy block of first choice calacatta, 4.5% second choice, and in general the 16% healthy blocks (of which 10% bardiglio); 44% of semi-squares (4% first choice, 10% bardiglio again), the shapeless are 40% (of which 5% first choice)?
«This value is the result of a rigorous and well-codified procedure carried out by the Marmo office – explains the manager of the Marmo office Giuseppe Bruschi -. Before arriving at the definition of a product sheet, inspections are carried out in each individual quarry and, in parallel, the cultivation project is analyzed in which, I remind you, the state of the deposit is also reported. At the end of this entire initial investigative phase we then move on, as required by the regulation, to a discussion with the excavator on our findings. Despite all these steps, there are examples, such as the case of Ruggetta, in which the excavator does not agree with the conclusions of the offices and presents an appeal”.
The calculation method has been more or less the same for 12-13 years, the values of the materials change: in 2014 the first choice calacatta and statuario were around 3 thousand euros per ton for sound blocks, now at just under 6 thousand. How do these prices arise, as there is no price observatory yet? Has the price observatory already come into operation?
«Let’s say first of all that it is not only the values of the materials that change, but the product data sheets of the individual quarries themselves which are updated every time a new cultivation project is presented or variations occur. As for the prices of the various materials, these are set through a management decision, the last of 2020. Even in this case, establishing the correct price is the result of long and meticulous work for which, starting from 2020, we we also entrust external professionals through ad hoc assignments. The price observatory has already come into operation and has already met several times, we believe that it can be a very important tool for constant monitoring of the prices of various materials thanks also to the continuous discussion of all stakeholders”.
Traceability chapter. Del Vecchio, CGIL, asks that it also be used to have more precise feedback on the actual production of the most valuable blocks and materials, but to date, in reality the traceability will have the function of a “register” of what comes out of each quarry for find 50% compliance with the supply chain.
«The traceability model on which we have worked already includes important tools within it to monitor not only how much, but also what was excavated in each individual quarry, regardless of whether the quarry has appraised goods or not. This is because the first step, from the quarry to the weighbridge, will allow us to follow step by step the evolution of the geological and depositological state of each extraction site and therefore also the type of material that is taken”.
Are the agreements signed by the companies equivalent to the issuing of concessions or are other steps necessary?
«They are an extension of the concession and therefore no further steps are needed. However, in those same agreements that were signed by the companies it is clarified that these concessions will be maintained only if the commitments made by the concessionaires regarding the short supply chain and article 21 are respected”.
Have you thought of a method compatible with the regulations to obtain more refined data compared to the production of the individual quarries, especially for the “over the top”, those six-seven which allow the respective concessionaires to achieve financial statements with very high net profits ?
«In this year and a half – adds the mayor Serena Arrighi – thanks to the great work of the offices we have managed to obtain important results for the entire marble sector. Since last November, all the Carrara quarries have signed new agreements or have registered EMAS certification, all of which means that both companies and the Municipality can plan the future with greater tranquility and with a long-term horizon. We have already begun to build this future with our method of maximum availability for dialogue with everyone, but also of rigor and firmness; it is no coincidence that for the first time in the history of Carrara we have come to declare a quarry. At the moment we are working on several fronts, starting with the drafting of the regulation on traceability, which we should conclude shortly, as well as that on tenders or even on how to apply article 21″. The mayor also adds another element on the planet marble and taxation. «In parallel to all this – states the first citizen Serena Arrighi – I believe we need an overall and multi-level reflection also on regional law 35/2015, a well-made and very important law, but which sees some points applied for the first time today after almost ten years. For example, to date the regional law provides that everyone pays 10 percent of the market value of the contribution and 5% of the concession fee without any type of distinction between the various types of marble. Given the large difference in values between some qualities, and the difference in profits between the various companies, this could be a corrective to make.”
