Toscolano Maderno Cuts Property Tax and Raises Tariffs in 2001
In Toscolano Maderno, the municipal property tax (Imposta Comunale sugli Immobili) has been reduced for the second consecutive year. In 2000, it decreased from 4.5 per mille to 4.4. It will reach 4.3. The discussion concerns primary residences (but also second homes, in the case they are leased or loaned to relatives within the second degree, residing nearby), including garages and related structures. For other properties, the rate remains at 7 per mille. The rates for productive activities were also lowered: from 6.75 to 6.50, compared to 7 in 1999. The latest change: the 250,000 lire deduction will no longer apply to dwellings with a cadastral value under one hundred million lire. The ICI guarantees an annual revenue of approximately four and a half billion lire. “However, ongoing assessments and checks carried out through Datalogos—explain Mayor Paolo Elena and assessor Fabio Belloni—have allowed us to recover some funds. We discovered outright evaders and, in some cases, private individuals who needed to adjust their payments. This has enabled, on one side, the reduction of rates, and on the other, in the 2001 budget, the projection of higher revenues, amounting to nearly five billion lire.”
Increases and changes to municipal tariffs
The second point: the water supply tariffs will increase by 4 percent. The waste collection fee was already modified last year, with savings for households of one or two people, and additional costs for households with more than three members. The urbanization fees table has also been revised. The third point stipulates that tariffs for occupying public spaces will be doubled, limited to street vendors. “For a long time,” says Elena, “the 125 stalls at the weekly market held on Thursdays paid one million lire annually each. That equates to about 20,000 lire per visit. There is also a modest fee for waste collection. Despite these increases, we remain well below other municipalities.”
The fourth aspect concerns advertising (signs, billboards, etc.). The tax is now converted into a fee (canone). Starting January 1, the concession to Aipa will be revoked, as it was set to expire in 2002. “The collection,” says Belloni, “will be handled directly by the Municipality. Although amounts will not change, we expect to collect three times the current figure, which is just 15 million lire. Additionally, payers can recover VAT.” Exemptions are provided for political, religious, sporting, union, and cultural events organized by recognized associations (and all others with the sponsorship of local public authorities).
The issue of posters and notices (affissioni) remains to be clarified. The preliminary approval was given by the majority, aligned with the positions of the Polo, and by musician Sergio Bertasio, a former Lega Nord member, now part of Ape. Two opposition councilors (Daniela Vassalini and Giorgio Pippa) left the chamber in protest over the difficulty in obtaining documents. The other two (former mayor Silvano Boni and environmentalist Cristina Milani) were absent. The total budget amounts to thirty-two billion two hundred thirty-seven million lire—almost eleven billion more than in 2000. This is the total revenue (and expenditure) for the municipality.
Current expenses: eleven billion lire, of which three are for personnel costs. The interest payments, totaling 641 million lire, represent 5.84 percent. The number of employees, which was 42 in 1999, increased to 56 following the dissolution of the Municipal Surveillance Consortium with Gardone Riviera and Tignale. Capital expenses amount to 16 billion 780 million lire—more than double last year’s figure. The remaining four billion four hundred million lire include loan repayments and revolving funds.