Card payment refund scheme aims to wean tax-dodging Italians off cash

Hundreds of thousands of Italians have signed up for a government plan supplying a 10pc refund for card payments in suppliers in just two weeks in an attempt by Rome to cut tax evasion and strengthen vendors strike by coronavirus restrictions.

The roaring get started to the plan, which demands downloading an application followed by a prolonged registration system, will come in stark contrast to Italians’ lukewarm reaction to the more simple Immuni application introduced in June to trace Covid infections.

The so-named “cashback” program will officially kick off subsequent thirty day period but the pilot programme from Dec 8 to the end of the end, which enables savings of up to €150, has now attracted a tenth of the grownup inhabitants.

“About 5m subscriptions is no modest feat,” explained Leonzio Rizzo, a professor of public finance at the University of Ferrara, informed Reuters.

Key Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government thinks that weaning Italians off cash can decrease rampant tax evasion, estimated by the Treasury at about €110bn a year.

Digital payments, not like notes and coins, are tougher to cover from the taxman.

Even so the programme has its critics, together with the European Central Lender, which explained last 7 days that governments must get a neutral tactic to signifies of payments and complained it experienced not been consulted.