Bad blow for Italian football. According to rumors coming from government sources, it appears that the provision extending tax discounts for athletes, including foreign football players, until the end of February has been canceled from the initial versions of the Milleproroghe decree. The news of the immediate suspension of the Growth Decree represents a heavy blow for Serie A teams, who were planning to take advantage of the upcoming winter transfer window to still take advantage of the benefits received or to extend expired contracts, still taking advantage of the tax discounts. The mini-extension would have been eliminated after a “heated discussion” during the Council of Ministers.
Italian championship teams will therefore have to face the restrictions foreseen by the entry into force, from January, of one of the legislative decrees that implement fiscal delegation. The League expressed satisfaction with the decision, calling the tax rebates “immoral” and encouraging investment in “young Italians” rather than foreigners considered overpaid and often underperforming. Just when it seemed that the immediate danger had been averted, Italian football is now suffering (exactly from January 1, 2024) a sharp turnaround by the government in front of the Growth Decree. This choice could have a significant impact on the finances and future competitiveness of Serie A clubs.
The Growth Decree, with its tax advantages for players coming from abroad, allowed Italian clubs to pay more competitive salaries, improving the entire football system. In particular, the law that will now end up forgotten provides tax advantages for those who change their residence to Italy, with income produced in our country only being weighted at 50% in tax terms, with the obligation to have been a resident abroad in the two periods taxes prior to the transfer to Italy, the obligation to remain two years after the transfer and to carry out work mainly in Italian territory. Claudio Lotito, president of Lazio and senator of Forza Italia, spoke out on the matter in recent days: “You will also undermine the competitiveness of Italian football. If you have the chance to have Lukaku today… play for Roma, right? Lukaku Damn, you didn’t like it! Do you understand what the problem is? You don’t understand Mourinho! Because Mourinho uses this rule. Did you understand? This way you create damage for the clubs: without Mourinho and Lukaku, Rome is dead.”
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
