Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

FINANCE

How and why the Italian government will give you €100 towards buying a new TV

From August 23rd, everyone living in Italy can apply for a discount on the cost of buying a new television. Here’s what the new scheme is all about.

Published: 7 July 2021 17:08 CEST
Updated: 9 August 2021 10:47 CEST

With dozens of tax ‘bonuses’ and rebates already available when purchasing anything from an electric car to a first home in Italy, the Italian government in July confirmed a new discount of 20% off the price of buying a new TV, up to a maximum of 100 euros.

The government has now confirmed that applications for the bonus will be open from August 23rd. newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore reports.

EXPLAINED: How to pay or cancel your Italian TV licence fee

The measure is intended to help with the costs of replacing older sets when Italy switches its signal to DVB-T2 in June 2022.

Italian Minister for Economic Development Giancarlo Giorgetti has signed off on the launch off the new “TV scrapping bonus”, saying the discount will be available to all households regardless of income, while a previous TV bonus for lower-income households also remains in place.

Households with an ISEE of €20,000 or less are already eligible for up to €50 off the price of a new-generation TV or decoder, in the form of a discount applied directly at the cash register.

The Italian ISEE number is the measure used to indicate how relatively well off your household is, taking into account income, assets, debts, and other factors. It’s quite complex to calculate but you can ask your commercialista (accountant) to do this for you.

READ ALSO: From DAD to DOP, the most common Italian acronyms explained

Photo: Rafael Arkenau/Unsplash

The new 100-euro ‘TV scrapping bonus’ announced on Wednesday is instead open to everyone in Italy, regardless of income level.

Lower-income households can claim both bonuses.

In both cases, you’ll need to trade in an older TV purchased before December 2018 in order to benefit.

You can do this by giving your old TV to the store when buying the new set. (You’ll need to ask first if the business is taking part in the scheme).

You can also take it to an authorized recycling centre yourself, as long as you obtain a document certifying that you’ve done so.

As well as scrapping the old TV set, the other two requirements for claiming the discount are that you’re a resident in Italy, and that you can prove you pay Italy’s canone (TV licencing fee) or are exempt.

For more information, see the Italian Economic Development Ministry’s website.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

MONEY

Bonus asilo: How to get help with the cost of childcare in Italy

Parents of young children in Italy can get up to 3,000 euros towards nursery of kindergarten fees. Here's how much you may be entitled to and how to claim in 2023.

Published: 24 February 2023 12:45 CET
Bonus asilo: How to get help with the cost of childcare in Italy

Although the cost of childcare in Italy is lower on average than in some European countries, it still adds up to a significant cost for working families.

Parents in Italy spend a monthly average of €303 per child for a full-time place (around ten hours a day, five days a week) at a public day nursery, or asilo nido, and an average of 324 euros a month for a place in a public kindergarten (scuola materna or scuola dell’infanzia), according to the latest available figures. 

READ ALSO: How does the cost of childcare in Italy compare to other countries?

Fees are generally higher in northern regions, with the highest monthly nursery fees of all recorded at 515 euros in Lecco, Lombardy.

But help towards the cost of childcare is available in the form of a bonus asilo (‘nursery bonus’), which can be claimed by families of children in public daycare facilities, or in contracted private ones.

Since the measure was first introduced in 2017 – and expanded in 2020 – Italy has provided childcare benefits for parents of children under the age of three, with the aim of boosting Italy’s declining birth rate by supporting more parents in going back to work.

READ ALSO: How much does it cost to raise a child in Italy?

The assistance remains in place for the 2023 school year, with parents able to claim anywhere between 1,500 and 3,000 euros depending on their income bracket.

Eligibility

Parents of children who will be aged three or under from January to August 2023 can claim childcare government assistance, including foster parents.

While the upper limit of 3,000 euros is only for households on the lowest incomes, there’s no upper limit, so every family is eligible to receive at least a 1,500 euro payment.

The payment applies either to nursery care costs or to private childminder fees in the case of children with health conditions that would make it unsafe for them to attend daycare with other children.

How much you can claim

The claimable amount depends on families’ economic situation, which in Italy is calculated as ISEE (Equivalent Financial Position Indicator). The following subsidies are in place:

  • Families with ISEE under 25,000 euros are entitled to an annual budget of 3,000 euros.
  • Families with ISEE between 25,001 euros and 40,000 euros can claim 2,500 euros. 
  • Families with ISEE over 40,001 euros are entitled to aid worth 1,500 euros.

Find out more about your ISEE and how to get it calculated here.

The funds apply to each child in the household that falls in the age range; so for two children under three, the amount of assistance is doubled.

READ ALSO: How much maternity, paternity, and parental leave do you get in Italy?

You can only claim up to the total amount of nursery or childminder fees charged for the year.

When and where to apply

The bonus asilo for the current school year must be requested by midnight on December 31st, 2023 through the INPS website.

Parents with young children in Italy can claim up to 3,000 euros in childcare support. Here’s how to go about it.

SHOW COMMENTS