PP019
Analítico de Periódico
P59_7
P59_7
BISES, Bruno
Is there a "Robin Tax" in Italy / Bruno Bises
Revista de finanças públicas e direito fiscal, Coimbra, a.3n.1(Primavera2010), p.131-147
Estante nº 23.
DIREITO FISCAL / Itália, PRINCÍPIO DA IGUALDADE / Itália, IMPOSTOS / Itália
This paper is concerned with the "fiscal measures for tax equalisation" stated in article 81 of Decree 112/2008 (and of subsequent Law 133/2008) as part of the new italian government's financial manoeuvre for 2008-2009. Some companies operating in the oil and energy sectors are charged with an additional tax burden - in the two forms of a surtax on corporate income and a tax on the increase in stock values - while a few measeures on the expenditure side are set in favour of the less affluent. This is why the above mentioned set of provisions is referred to as a Robin Tax. Two main points are analysed in this paper. The first one is about the logic itself underlying the link between the acquisition of resources and the use of such resources.The second one specifically concerns the tax measures resorted to by the Government. As regards the first point, it is shown that no economic reason appears to justify the tax and the expenditure measures being provided in a single article of the law. As far as the second aspect is concerned, the tax provisions are analysed on both efficiency and equity grounds. On the one hand, the additional tax burden on the oil industry does not appear to be founded on clear economic reasons, and will probably give rise to distortions in the allocation of resources. On the other hand, one cannot exclude that, in spite of the transfer of the corporate surtax on to prices being formally forbidden, the higher tax burden will be actually borne by consumers.