President, what’s to be done? Questions to Matteo Renzi on boating

Our friends from Liguria Nautica had a good idea: since, they write, “boating still represents an important item for the Italian economy: in 2013, turnover stood at around 2.4 billion euros, source UCINA, while the golden year of 2008 had marked as much as 6.2 billion.” have decided to write an open letter to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to “open a calm and genuine discussion on some issues we believe are particularly important that affect the sector in which we operate.” The letter contains some questions for which the boating industry has been waiting – for too long now – for a concrete answer from the government.

QUESTIONS TO RENZI ON BOATING
1) As has already been done in Sardinia, to encourage the boating industry, wouldn’t it be possible to lower the VAT on berths to 11 percent? That on tourist services such as hotels is even at 10. Today, talking about boating also means thinking about tourism: where there are berths there are tourist services and thus a general benefit to the economy.

2) Isn’t it time to cut fuel taxes? The European taxation average is 46.3 percent, while in Italy we have reached 60.5 percent between excise taxes and VAT with the increase triggered on March 1, 2014.

3) You put the school in the foreground. Italy has more than 7 thousand kilometers of coastline, not counting the many lakes: isn’ t it time to promote seafaring culture in schools as well, for example, with sailing courses or activities related to sea crafts? This would help break the stereotype nautical=maxi yacht=evasion. Boating is also sports, nature, culture and tourism.

4) Boating=evasion is a stereotype that has done nothing but harm to our industry. When will the IRS have an efficient digital control system? Mandatory ship registration for units even under 10 mt, acceleration on computerization of registers and consequent upstream controls are three points that would solve so many problems. Investigations are right, but indiscriminate GDF raids on marina docks or directly at sea seem to us deleterious.

5) In order to limit tax evasion in charter activities that take place in our waters, is it not possible to favor Italian or EU-flagged vessels with a subsidized VAT (see the first question), and instead bind those from other countries to obtaining a special license? This model has already been introduced in Croatia.

6) To revitalize the tourism and nautical sectors, Isn’t it time to launch a serious port infrastructure investment plan? Especially in the south, an area that could live off tourism 365 days a year, there is a lack of ports capable of being a real driver for local economies and beyond.

7) Made in Italy is one of our country’s main resources, one of the so-called excellences, and boating is one of its best expressions. Of the many prominent profiles she could have chosen, why appoint Federica Guidi as Minister of Economic Development, whose family businesses are notorious for systemic relocation of production?

8) We followed with interest the meeting sponsored by the PD in Rome, entitled “Boating at Work is Work for the Country.” It seems to us a pity that only the “big guys” in the industry were present at this meeting and the “real” boating industry, the one made up of small and medium-sized businesses that continue to die every day, was totally absent; not to mention the absence of the world of associations and nautical clubs that promote maritime culture for example with sailing schools. When your party and the government talk about boating, who are the stakeholders they are referring to?

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