Work in progress on the Budget Law. From the text approved on 17 October by the Council of Ministers, the Government has already made several corrections to the 2026 Budget, which is now expected to be examined by the Senate with the possibility of further changes through amendments in the Commission or in the Chamber.
At stake are above all some of the most disputed issues among the majority parties, from the increase in the flat rate tax for short-term rentals to the contribution to the banks, from the raising of the retirement age to the police, up to the requests of the Municipalities.
The treasure chest for amendments to the Budget
The resources provided for the amendments to the 18.7 billion Budget 2026 would be 100 million euros per year, as envisaged in the billarticle 132.
A small treasure that the working groups of both the majority parties and the opposition will have to make do with in the race to modify the text, also attempting to stretch the coverage already consolidated by the stamp of the State Accounting Office.
The last step in the budget calendar saw the text reach the Senate committee, where the Budget Law will be sifted and work on the amendments will begin.
The tax on short-term rentals
At the center of the majority’s negotiations stands out in particular the debate on the increase in the dry tax on short-term rentals for the first home from 21% to 26%, for which both Forza Italia and the League have expressed clear opposition.
The Foreign Minister and secretary of the Azzurri, Antonio Tajani, stated in no uncertain terms that he will fight in Parliament to cancel this rule, which would not have been discussed previously. An intention also clearly expressed by the other deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, despite the resistance of the Minister of Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti.
Negotiations between allies would have produced the first changes to the tax burden, first addressing it only to those who rent through agencies and intermediation portals (such as Airbnb and Booking) and then with the hypothesis of lowering the disputed rate to 23%.
The amendments of the two parties would already be in the preparation phase, but ally Maurizio Lupi would have launched a proposal with Us moderates to resolve the issue in an alternative way: exploiting the 100 million expected from the tax to set a flat rate of 15% on long-term rentals.
The banking and dividend issues
Less agreement between Tajani and Salvini on the levy on the credit sector, an issue that has caused a split within the Government, but which should be closed without further changes to the agreement on the contribution of around 11 billion to the banks made with the Abi association.
Forza Italia has meanwhile opened another front of conflict in the majority, on the increase in the taxation of dividends, which should provide for a higher tax burden on companies with shareholdings below 10%.
Tajani’s party would like to intervene with a modification, but the measure allows the Maneuver to obtain 1 billion in coverage and would appear to be armored.
The law enforcement chapter
Among the first measures amended in the budget law could also be included the increase in the retirement age for law enforcement officers, by 3 months from 2026 and 4 months from 2027, which sparked protests from the sector’s unions.
Matteo Salvini would have asked his parliamentary group to develop a more gradual solution in a package dedicated to the “security” department, which should also include an extraordinary hiring plan to make up for the over 10 thousand missing staff members, as requested by the category acronyms.
