The European Commission on Friday
asked Italy to recoup sums of the former municipal property tax
ICI which were not paid between 2006 and 2011, including from
non commercial entities like Catholic Church activities and
assets.
The Commission ordered Italy to recover illegal state aid
granted to certain non-commercial entities in the form of an
exemption from the municipal property tax (ICI) from 2006 to
2011.
The decision follows a 2018 ruling by the European Court of
Justice partially annulling a 2012 Brussels decision in which it
declared Italy's tax exemption incompatible with EU state aid
rules, but waived recovery.
Brussels' decision to order Italy to recover illegal aid granted
as ICI tax exemptions between 2006 and 2011 concerns activities
of an economic nature even when carried out by non-commercial
entities such as the Church, an EU spokesman told the EC's daily
press conference.
"Entities that carry out non-economic activities," he explained,
"such as strictly religious activities, will not be affected by
the order" to recover state aid, "however, when such activities
are of an economic nature, the fact that they are carried out by
non-commercial entities does not preclude the EU norms on state
aid", he said.
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