Luckily I have an excellent commercialista – accountant. She does not speak English, but my Italian is good enough to allow me to chat to her about tax and other financial issues. She rang me up today to tell me about a slight revision to the law with regard to the settlement of IVA/VAT and other taxes. From the 1st October this year, 2006, it will no longer be possible to fill in an F24 form by hand and wander along to your bank to ask them to process the thing. Oh no. From the 1st October F24s can only be paid by those registered for IVA in two ways: via a home banking system and or by your accountant.
I already use a home banking system and I already pay my F24s on-line, which is just as well. After the 1st October, the only other option will be to instruct an accountant, if you have one, to do it for you, and they will charge you for this service. The charge, I have been advised, may be between 5 and 10 Euros per payment, although it may well be much more, but there is no alternative. There is more. Any on-line payment has to be made from a bank account in your name, or a joint account, but only if you are legally married, otherwise the tax people will state that you have not paid and you will find yourself having to pay a nice fine.
Stop reading, start speaking
Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.
It is just as well that I’m quite computer literate and have a good connection to the Internet, but I pity for all those, mainly, shop owners who do not have a computer or an Internet connection (I frightened our local laundry shop owner by passing on this news (I don’t know who her accountant is, but he or she is not as good a mine)). The over 55s (and not only) are going to have a lot of fun learning about pcs and the www or have to pay their accountants to settle their tax bills.
This ‘silent but deadly’ reform is not going to be that popular I feel. We shall see how long it lasts before the wise people in government make an about turn and re-introduce the old ‘go-to-your bank’ system……
Change in Italy is generally slow, but not in this case and if there are not problems, it will be a great surprise to this here blogger from Milan, Italy.
