Seven years, 52 municipalities involved and over ten million euros recovered. These are the numbers of the fight against tax evasion in the Bergamo area according to the elaboration of the Welfare Department of the CISL of Bergamo on the MEF data regarding the contribution for the participation of the Municipalities of the province of Bergamo in the tax and contribution assessment activity (since 2016 to 2023, excluding 2022, the year for which it was not possible to recover the figures).
Five million remain with the Municipalities
The Echo of Bergamo, explains how the number of participating Municipalities is dictated by the fact that initially it is the administrations that have to bear the costs of an initial analysis. However, in exchange for the initial expense, the Municipalities then obtain fifty percent of the recovered amount, which then becomes available to the municipal coffers.
Often, these are large sums. For example, Bergamo recovered over two million euros, Clusone just under three hundred thousand euros, Cividate al Piano 240 thousand euros, Lovere even 911 thousand euros, Terno d’Isola 287 thousand euros and San Paolo d’Argo 209 thousand euros. Overall, there are five million euros left to the municipalities (fifty percent of what was recovered from the tax authorities).
High costs, but they can be faced together
«Every year – he explains Angelo Murabito, provincial secretary of CISL Bergamo – let’s do a study on the recovery of tax evasion. A theme we have always fought for. It is a shame that only 52 out of 243 Municipalities in the Bergamo area participate in this action. The reasons why several Municipalities do not participate is certainly due to the cost. Carrying out the initial analysis is not always sustainable for everyone, especially for small municipalities.”
However, there is a possible solution: «Let us remember that administrations may not act alone – underlines Murabito -. For example, you can move through the associated management in the various territorial areas. If several Municipalities work together they reduce the costs of participation and then obtain figures that can help the budgets. We hope that in this way the action to combat tax and social security evasion can be increasingly widespread and effective.”
