Invoices that accumulate, companies in difficulty and biblical times for payments. The account is 15 billion euros of debts between 2023 and 2024. The risk that the total continues to rise is high. THE’debt of the public administration Italian continues to rise, creating difficulties for companies that provide goods and services to the state.
The delays in payments affect above all small and medium -sized enterprises (SMEs), who often find themselves forced to pay taxes even without having received payments from the state. But what are the worst payers among the ministries?
The public administration accumulates debts: the numbers
The numbers confirm a structural problem: Italy is the European country with the highest stock of commercial debts in relation to GDP. This means that the Italian state pays its suppliers with extremely long times, causing many and serious economic consequences.
In 2023, the PA accumulated 10.6 billion euros of non -payments, while in the first six months of 2024 the data has already reached 5.8 billion. The trend risks worsening further with the implementation of the works of the PNRR (subjected to the controls of the Court of Auditors), which could create a further economic load on public administrations.
At European level, Italy is thus confirmed as the tail light for timeliness in payments, with an average payment over 30 days provided for by the law. The result? Suppliers waiting months, if not years, to receive what is due.
Who doesn’t pay? Late ministries
The responsibility of delays is not uniform within the PA. Some ministries better respect the deadlines, while others accumulate debts on debts. The worst payer turns out to be the Ministry of Laborwhich has an average of 13.13 days late in payments. Follow:
- Ministry of Culture (+10.94 days late);
- Ministry of the Interior (+10.71 days late);
- Ministry of Tourism (+10.45 days late);
- Ministry of Health (+4.51 days late).
On the other hand, some ministries pay in advance of the deadlines:
- Ministry of the Environment (-20.91 days);
- Ministry of University and Research (-15.45 days).
The weight of the debts on SMEs
The delays in the payments of the PA have a high impact on small and medium -sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent the heart of the Italian economic system. These, unlike large companies, do not have the ability to absorb delays in payments, which translates into liquidity problems, Delays in wages and difficulty in accessing credit.
To worsen the situation, the ruling of the Cassation arrived, which establishes that companies must still pour taxes Even if the state does not pay the invoices. A paradox that brings many companies to its knees, forcing them to debt to respect tax obligations.
The only passable solution could be the compensation between credits and debts, allowing companies to climb the credits boasted towards the PA by their tax debts. This proposal, advanced by Cgia di Mestrecould alleviate the liquidity crisis of thousands of Italian companies.
