Public sector contract funds to 2.9 bn (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, October 23 - A draft of the 2018 budget bill seen by ANSA raises the funds available for renewing public-sector contracts to 2.9 billion euros.
    The resources are for renewals from 2016 to 2018, and there has been an OK to a monthly raise of 84 euros.
    Public-sector contracts have been frozen in Italy for 10 years.
    The draft 2018 budget contains tax breaks of up to 19% on bus and train season tickets, sources said.
    The 19% breaks can amount to up to 250 euros a year, sources said.
    A bonus for buying furniture has been extended to 2018 in the draft budget ANSA saw. There will be a 50% discount on buying furniture and also domestic appliances, with a ceiling set at 10,000 euros.
    Finally, the draft 2018 budget contains a 22% discount for policies against natural disasters, sources said. There will be tax breaks for house insurance policies stipulated from 2018 on, sources said.
    In other measures, 200 million will go towards the improvement of school buildings and 246 million in two years for the "safe roads" project.
    The draft of the 2018 budget, still to be defined, also earmarks a 5,000-euro bonus plus half the salary for budding under-21 soccer players in the nurseries of Serie A, B and C, sources said Monday. There will also be a crackdown on firms moving profits abroad with the sole aim of minimising the taxes they have to pay. The budget bill, which is now being assessed by Brussels, has to be approved by parliament before the end of the year.