Red tape costs small businesses '30.9 bn euros a year'

(ANSA) - Rome, June 10 - The cost of red tape for small and medium-sized Italian enterprises stood at 30.9 billion euros in 2013, or 7,005 euros per business, the Italian artisan association said Tuesday.
    Confartigianato said nearly two-thirds of the 629 new tax rules passed between 2008 and 2014 increased new red tape compliance costs, "creating a climate that is hostile to doing business". Italy is in 23rd place among the 28 European Union countries and in 65th place globally in the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking for 2014. The artisans' association laid part of the blame at the door of online services which it said in the age of internet remained inefficient.
    "Just 21% of Italians communicate with the public administration online, against an European average of 41%," Confartigianato said in a statement. Red tape also prevents "the concrete application of regulations" and so in Italy "laws continue to be produced that remain dead letter", the association added.