Erika Malandra “Tax-free the thirteenth salary.” Antonio Tajani has been repeating it for weeks, in every interview. “It's a measure that can support incomes and boost middle-class consumption,” he declared to Corriere della SeraThe Deputy Prime Minister and Forza Italia secretary has made tax relief on the thirteenth salary a key issue in the next Budget Law.
The goal is clear: to restore oxygen to families, especially those crushed by inflation and the high cost of living. Let's see what the plan envisages. possibility of tax-free thirteenth salary and how it works?
Tax-free thirteenth salary: how the proposal works
As reported by Il Sole 24 Ore The proposal currently being considered by the Ministry of Economy and Finance includes a full or partial exemption from personal income tax (IRPEF) on Christmas bonuses. This measure, if approved, would affect approximately 19 million employees and pensioners. But nothing is yet finalized: "A comprehensive assessment of the impact on public finances is needed," MEF sources explained to the economic daily.
Today, the thirteenth salary is taxed more than the regular salary. The reason is technical: the deductions for dependent work do not apply. He also recalled this. La Repubblica, explaining that the Christmas bonus "is thinning out" because it is burdened by both social security contributions (around 9,19%) and by personal income tax, calculated on the ordinary brackets - 23%, 35% and 43%.
The result is that, despite being formally an additional monthly payment, the thirteenth salary arrives in the paycheck with a lower net amount than a normal salary. Hence Tajani's idea of "freeing it from taxes," as he said to Sky Tg24, making it a sort of full Christmas bonus, so a tax-free thirteenth salary but how it works and what are the possible effects?
Tax-free thirteenth salary: simulations and reactions
But how much would you really earn? Il Sole 24 Ore
has published some simulations based on estimates of the Labor and Tax Studies CenterWith a gross annual income of €20, a full exemption from personal income tax would earn approximately €321 more than the current thirteenth salary. With a substitute tax reduced to 10%, the benefit would drop to €182.
For those earning 35 euros a year, the benefit would be between 611 and 856 euros, while for higher incomes, around 50-60 euros, the net bonus would exceed 1.200 euros.
Interesting numbers, but they also raise concerns among experts. "Every percentage point of personal income tax has a significant impact on the budget," ministerial sources reminded AdnkronosThe risk, they explain, is that a popular measure could prove too costly for public finances.
On the union front, the reaction is cautious… The Cisl, interviewed by La Repubblica, calls the proposal "positive, but insufficient." The confederation needs a comprehensive tax reform, not just temporary measures.
The thirteenth salary, remember, is due to all employed workers and retirees. It is calculated by dividing the gross annual salary into thirteen parts, with the same taxable base as the salary. However, without deductions, the net amount is lower.
A tax break, even a partial one, could therefore represent an immediate injection of liquidity for millions of families. "It would be a concrete signal," Tajani commented. The messenger, “of attention towards those who work and spend”.
It remains to be seen whether the measure will actually be included in the Budget Law. The government is evaluating, the accounts are being drawn up and redrawn. But in the meantime, like every year, workers are already making their decisions: thirteenth salary or not, in December, every euro counts.