sheilamarsco

met some ex pat friends today who said they got a letter by registered post asking them to attend an appointment at the local tax offices and to bring with them evidence of their income for the past four years. apparently when they got there they spent two hours going over their finances and convincing the official how they could manage to live in italy without any apparent income as they have their pension paid in the u.k. and then just transfer over some money when they need it. has anyone else had this experience? it seems that the tax inspectors are doing a sweep down through tuscany umbria le march and now into abruzzo.

Mitzyboy

Had your friends ever done a tax return in Italy before?

sheilamarsco

no i don't think so as they've never worked since they've lived in italy and they don't do b & b or anything they've only recently started getting a u.k. pension i.e. about a year ago

37100

An automatic system flags up any C.F. numbers with no 'movements'. Tax office was just checking to see they didn't have an undeclared income here in Italy.

Mitzyboy

Neither do I in Spain ..... but I still do a tax return with a zero return. It has an effect here on eventual property sales and proves to the tax system that I am actually a tax resident here.

Dont know if its the same system there, but here its well worth making a zero return

37100

Bit different here Mitziboy. I'm not an expert or anything, but you can't file a tax form unless you have an income. I'm sure there are exceptions though. We have a son with a bursary which is pre-taxed so he can't file a tax form to claim tax back for healthcare, uni, bus/train season tickets etc.

Mitzyboy

Oh wow, thats wierd. I would have thought it was better for them if you were in effect registering!

37100

Everybody has to have a codice fiscale, a sort of tax code, from the day they are born. You need it for just about everything. From the health service to schools, for utility contracts, buying a car etc. So they keep track of you like that. That's what probably happened to the O.P's friend. They use it and it was flaged up as having no income attached.

Mitzyboy

Yeah we have to have an NIE, so I guess the same thing

clint

having checked with my tax office last year I was told I didn't need to file a tax returned but this was just because the cadrastal rental value of the land I own in my name only was below 500Euros. I argued the point with the tax office that I don't get any income from the land as it is not rented out and that income tax should really be payable on money actually earned/received but not as far as they are concerned there is a "potential" income and if it was over the 500Euros then I would have to fill in a tax return

well I guess Mr Berlusca needs the money

37100

A rendità catastale is an income for the tax office. We've just done our 730 and since our run in with the tax office hubby goes down to a CAF. Luck had it that the person doing them was an retired tax man. Poor hubby spent over an hour explaining things. The man had a lot to say about what he was going to allow and what not.