Recently, the director of the Revenue Agency, Ernesto Maria Ruffini, revealed during a hearing at the Senate Finance Committee that the credits subject to fraud amount to approximately 15 billion euros.
Of these, a substantial portion was intercepted through preventive seizures and other control measures, but the problem persists, raising crucial questions about the effectiveness and integrity of building incentive policies.
Details of fraud and actions of the Revenue Agency
The director of the Revenue Agency, Ernesto Maria Ruffini, specified that of the 15 billion euros of suspicious credits, 8.6 billion were the subject of preventive seizures and 6.3 billion were suspended and discarded from the credit transfer platform of the Revenue Agency.
This supervisory process made it possible to mitigate potential damage to the treasury, although not all credits were intended to avoid paying taxes.
Some of these credits were purchased in good faith by the transferees, who intended to use them for the payment of taxes, but the fraud was discovered before their use.
During the same hearing, the topic of the bonus was also addressed Aid for Economic Growthwhere they emerged fraud for around 100 million euros out of 518 million in total tax credits.
These credits, attributed to 13,155 subjects up to April 12, were analyzed by the Revenue Agency to identify any anomalies.
The frauds identified represent a prudential estimate, calculated net of other potentially present irregularities, highlighting the need for continuous improvement in the control and verification systems of tax credits.
The role of local authorities in preventing fraud
The director of the Revenue Agency underlined the importance of the participation of local authorities in the results of the recovery of tax evasion. Local authorities already have the ability to report irregularities, and according to Ruffini, their participation could be extended through local police to cover the national territory more effectively.
This collaboration could trigger a virtuous cycle of control and prevention, but to be implemented effectively, it requires the introduction of specific legislation that clarifies roles and responsibilities.
