"In 2022, the tax authorities recovered over 20 billion euros from the fight against tax evasion. This figure, announced by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) in recent months, is yet another demonstration that in recent years the fight against fiscal infidelity is bearing fruit. Between 2015 and 20201, for example, evasion in Italy fell by €16.3 billion. Although 2020 was a very special year due to the pandemic, the tax gap estimated by the MEF fell to 89.8 billion euros; of which 78.9 are attributable to the loss of tax revenue and the other 10.8 billion are the 'fruit' of tax evasion ". This was communicated by the Studies Office of the Cgia of Mestre.

"Despite not being able to count on almost 79 billion euros in taxes every year, an amount that still remains extraordinarily high, the Italian financial administration - reads a note - seems to have managed to take the right path to effectively combat this social and economic scourge that has always negatively characterized our country. Between tax compliance, split payment, electronic invoicing and the electronic sending of fees, a series of taxpayers - including hardened tax evaders, those who received payments from the State for a service or work performed and then did not pay VAT and, finally, the professionals of the so-called 'carousel fraud' - were induced to repent ".

"Not only that. The slight fall in the tax burden in recent years has also certainly had a positive effect on the revenue side. Although still completely insufficient, the reduction in the tax burden has contributed, in part, to reducing evasion, especially what in jargon is called 'survival'. Unfortunately, those who are completely unknown to the tax authorities continue undaunted to get away with it, as well as the mafia-style criminal organizations that continue to cultivate their illegal trafficking with increasing dedication. Not very 'sensitive' to fiscal fidelity are also those multinationals and web giants that, in Italy, make millionaire profits, but the vast majority of taxes are paid in countries with high advantageous taxation".

Last year, the Treasury collected 68.9 billion more in tax and social security revenues, recovered 20.2 billion euros of evasion in just one year and 'blocked' 9.5 billion of fraud. Still on the revenue side, the positive trend continued also in this first part of 2023. Also according to the MEF, in the first three months of this year, compared to the same period of 2022, tax and social security revenues grew overall by 4.7 billion euros (+2.7 percent).

According to the Studies Office of the Cgia of Mestre, "if we manage to counter the underground economy more incisively, we will make web multinationals and e-commerce giants in our country pay taxes, we will be able to effectively cross the 161 tax databases that our Financial Administration possesses and, finally, we will witness a serious tax reform that structurally cuts the burden of taxation on all taxpayers, it cannot be excluded that within the next 4/5 years tax evasion in Italy could even be reduced by half, thus aligning itself with the dator European average".

According to the Studies Office of the Cgia of Mestre, in 2020 the weight of the unobserved economy on national added value (GDP) was 11.6 percent, equal to 174.6 billion euros. In the various areas of the country, the undeclared economy has a different incidence on the wealth produced: 9.2 percent in the Northwest, 9.8 percent in the Northeast, rises to 12 percent in the Center and reaches 16.8 percent in the South. Conversely, the loss of tax and social security revenue has been distributed for each region, which, on the other hand, is around 90 billion euros.

In other words, it is as if, at national level, 13.2 euros were evaded for every 100 euros of revenue collected. In the Northwest, the CGIA Studies Office has estimated that the total amount of revenue evaded is equal to 23.4 billion euros; therefore, for every 100 euros collected in this geographical distribution, tax evaders retain 10.3, in the Northeast 11.1 (17.6 billion in revenue eroded by tax evaders), in the Centre 13.6 (19.8 billion in lost revenue) and in the South 19 (29.1 billion in lost revenue).

"At the regional level, finally, the most critical situation can be seen in the South: in the ranking of euros evaded per 100 euros collected, in Puglia 19.2 euros are 'lost', in Campania 20 and in Calabria 21.3. These figures are double those recorded in Friuli Venezia Giulia (10.6 euros), in the Province of Trento (10.2 euros) and in Lombardy (9.5 euros). The national territory most loyal to the tax authorities is the Province of Bolzano which presents an evasion of 9.3 euros for every 100 collected", concludes the Cgia.


Cgia to trade unions, Irpef not paid only by pensioners and employees "In recent weeks, especially by the CGIL and the UIL, it is claimed that the personal income tax (Irpef) would be paid almost entirely by pensioners and employees
. We would like to point out that this statement is completely misleading, because it implies that in Italy to pay almost all of the Irpef would be only two categories of taxpayers. In reality, those who continue to repeat this obviousness are 'victims' of a serious statistical/interpretative blunder". This is supported by the Studies Office of the Cgia of Mestre.

"If, in fact, it is clear that 84 percent of the total income tax is paid to the treasury by pensioners and employees, this is because these two categories represent 89 percent of the total Irpef taxpayers present in Italy. The other 11% or so are recipients of other income categories. In particular, self-employed workers are 8.5 percent of the total income tax taxpayers. If you want to demonstrate the imbalance of the tax burden linked to Irpef, the 'correct' methodology - continues the Cgia - is to calculate the average amount paid by each taxpayer belonging to each of the three main types that pay the tax on individuals: that is, self-employed, employees and pensioners ".

"Applying this method, to the income data for 2019 (source Ministry of Economy and Finance), it emerges that, on average, pensioners pay an annual net income tax of 3,281 euros, employees of 4,061 euros and entrepreneurs / self-employed workers of 6,026 euros. Let's be clear, tax evasion in Italy exists and is present in all categories of taxpayers, therefore, even among self-employed workers and entrepreneurs. Therefore, evasion must be opposed wherever it lurks, without however prejudicially accusing anyone, much less through the incorrect interpretation of very partial data, as has happened in recent weeks".

Cgia, reform indicates costs and coverage, reduce load and evasion
"Pending the approval of the implementing decrees, for the Cgia Studies Office an important tax reform that has the ambition to define itself as such must, first of all, indicate in advance how much it costs and where the coverage is recovered, after which it has the task of achieving, in a reasonably short time, at least three other objectives: reducing the tax burden on households and businesses; the simplification of the relationship between the tax authorities and the taxpayer; reducing tax evasion and avoidance. Failure to achieve these points constitutes a serious danger that it is destined to fail or in any case unable to give a serious response to the many requests raised by Italian taxpayers who for decades have been asking for a fairer and less complicated tax ". This can be read in a note from the Cgia of Mestre.