La fight against tax evasion it has always been a staple of every government that has succeeded in Italy over the years. The evasion is fueled above all by payments made in cash (without a receipt being issued) which are often impossible to trace. To overcome this problem and encourage purchases with electronic payment, the Government Count put in place the piano Italy Cashless. This provides for a refund until 10% (until 150 €) for purchases made with card or app only in physical stores. As explained by the Prime Minister during the press conference for the presentation of Prime Ministerial Decree of 3 December 2020 for the new measures against the Covid-19, it is a project "to support commercial activities, a sector that is in great suffering, but also to help Italian families".
Italia Cashless: State cashback and Christmas Extra Cashback
Il state cashback, contained in the Italia Cashless plan, was formalized with the implementing decree published in Official Gazette last 28th November. As already mentioned, this is a refund of the 10% on a maximum expense of 1.500 €, or up to 150 € (not taxable). This will officially start on 1 January 2021 and will cover purchases made in physical stores through credit card, of debt or apps like Satispay, Google Play, Apple Pay, etc. The cashback refund will be made every 6 months, as long as they are carried out at least 50 payments electronic for a minimum amount of 1 €. This means that, in one year, you will be able to receive a maximum refund of 300 €, spending 1.500 € per month (the purchased item does not matter).
To help Italians in their Christmas shopping, the Government has also thought about launching theExtra Cashback for Christmas. The start date is scheduled for Tuesday 8th December (day ofImmaculate) and will end on 31th December. The operation is the same as that of the state cashback, but with a small difference. However, you can always get a refund equal to 10% on a maximum expense of 1.500 €, the minimum number of operations it will no longer be 50, but rather 10 (always for electronic payments in physical stores). Consumers who join the Christmas Extra Casback will be credited with the amount due starting from February 2021.
How to get state cashback
Participating in the Italia Cashless project is very simple. Everything will be conveyed byIO.it app di PagoPa, the same already used for the holiday bonus. To register you will need to use your own SPID credentials or the electronic identity card. Once this is done, you will only need to enter the details of the card that will be used for purchases, your tax code and the Iban code of the account. If you do not have the SPID, you can receive State cashback and Christmas Extra Cashback using apps such as Satispay, Yap, Nextpay or systems Google Pay, Samsung Pay e Apple Pay. The refund will be visible on the account starting from the month following the end of the semester. Finally, the former 100.000 citizens registered that will perform the most operations in 6 months, will be entitled to one super cashback, from 1.500 €.
Italy is still one of the few European countries to prefer cash over electronic payments. The Italia Cashless plan it could be a great help in the digitization of our country, also promoting transparency and the fight against tax evasion. L'Extra Cashback for Christmas it will be the real test of whether the project will prove to be a success or a flop. To find out, however, we will have to wait for the end of the Christmas holidays.
