Day of tension in the majority in the Senate due to the vote in the Finance Commission on the amendments to the Superbonus Decree. In the end the text proposed by the government to spread the credits over 10 years passed but with the vote of Italia Viva, the abstention of the senator of the Autonomies Pietro Patton and above all of Forza Italia. The Azzurri did not appreciate the rejection of their sub-amendments which asked for there to be no retroactivity in the provision presented by the Mef to spread the super bonus credits.
The result of the vote thus made the move attempted by FdI in the afternoon ineffective, who, given the numbers of the majority at risk, proposed expanding the number of senators in the Finance Commission from 19 to 20 with the addition of Salvatore Sallemi from the Justice Commission. A move, permitted by the regulation, which however sent the opposition into a rage with the Pd and M5S who speak of “forcing” by the majority.
After the vote, the president of the Finance Commission of Palazzo Madama, the Northern League member Massimo Garavaglia, claimed that “the government's amendment on the Superbonus Decree passed despite Forza Italia, only thanks to the vote of the president and Italia viva”. The reply from Forzista Maurizio Gasparri: «abstention is not a vote against. We abstained because the part concerning the sugar tax, thanks to us, was postponed for a year, to July 1, 2025.”
A majority agreement was found on the postponement of the sugar tax's entry into force by one year, to 1 July 2025on which Forza Italia has always invested, bringing home the postponement of the new tax, contested by entrepreneurs in the sector.
Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, leader of Forza Italia, underlines: «There is no sugar tax. The superbonus remains with retroactive effect because our amendments were rejected in committee. I'm sorry and I think it's a mistake. Tomorrow in the chamber, however, we will be loyal to the Government.” While the owner of the Mef Giancarlo Giorgetti says he is “very calm because it is right” and repeats that the super bonus “is an exceptional measure for exceptional times like many more or less right things done in the pandemic era. Once the intoxication from this type of cheap drug is over, you have to get out. Unfortunately, detox is painful but someone has to do it.”
«It is clear that the majority attempted a blitz in the Finance Commission which was stopped by President La Russa and we are satisfied with this. The centre-right is in chaos, let's see what they will propose but in any case we want the vote to be held today with the Commission unchanged. As the Democratic Party, we will continue to defend families and businesses from harmful retroactive measures on the Superbonus.” Senator Cristina Tajani, group leader of the Democratic Party in the Finance Commission of Palazzo Madama, said this in a conversation with journalists.
It was also achieved for the start of the sugar tax, which is postponed to July 1, 2025. This was confirmed by the Minister for Relations with Parliament Luca Ciriani, explaining that “an agreement has been reached on this”. “It's our victory,” comments FI group leader in the Senate Maurizio Gasparri.