Milan, October 30 (askanews) – High fuel prices are weighing heavily on professional categories, such as taxi drivers and rental companies. Various protests are underway, and several associations, both taxi drivers and NCC (car rental companies), have submitted requests to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. We met with Loreno Bittarelli, president of ItTaxi, to understand the main critical issues facing the sector today.
"It's clear," he replied, "that the most pressing issue is the high fuel prices. We've been gritting our teeth and trying to get by for too many months, but unfortunately, these cost increases are eroding what little margin we have left in our business. Taxis, in particular, have rates administered by municipalities that can't fluctuate based on market trends." In this context, taxes and fuel excise duties are particularly difficult to digest.
And in this regard, ItTaxi is putting forward proposals that look to international models. "Let's do something well, for once, like what happens in Spain and other European countries," added the consortium president, "where taxi drivers, as well as rental companies, are entitled to professional fuel. They have a card, they fill up their tanks, and the minimum excise duties imposed by the European Community are applied, because Europe imposes a minimum on us.
But there are no further additions. Furthermore, they receive a write-off on the fuel they used to operate their taxis through tax credits for the costs incurred. If we could achieve something like this, it would be an important measure, not only from an economic standpoint for our business, for our companies, but it would also help contain costs for users." Within the sector, however, there are also different and opposing positions. ItTaxi has chosen not to join, at least for now, a new demonstration. One of the reasons, Bittarelli told us, is linked to the rejection of violent protests. But there are more structural ones: "The other union front, the one opposing us," he concluded, "is the one that, instead of seeking a balance between the categories of non-scheduled public transport: taxis and NCC, literally advocates a clash, meaning let's kill them so we can survive. This policy of war between the poor, between workers, has only harmed both categories up to now. We, on the other hand, are what we would like. If the rules aren't clear, since there are obviously overlaps, because this is where conflicts between the two categories arise, we are in favor of rewriting the rules clearly, reestablishing once and for all who does what in the area of non-scheduled public transport. If we can redefine a clear and, above all, shared framework between the two categories, we will probably no longer be at odds with each other, but will all work together to always provide a better and more organized service to our users. As you can see, the game is complex and is being played on multiple fronts, but as far as ItTaxi is concerned, there is also a desire to reconcile the sector and move in agreement, not in conflict.
Askanews