Italy Says ‘Voluntary Disclosure’ Tax Amnesty Raised Over 4 Billion Euros
By REUTERS

ROME — An Italian scheme launched in January to encourage tax dodgers to declare hidden funds in return for criminal immunity brought in more than 4 billion euros (£2.9 billion) before it closed at the end of last month, the Treasury said on Wednesday.

The total is above a previous estimate of 3.8 billion euros and will be of significant help in enabling the government to reach its public finance objectives this year.

“We will definitely be above 4 billion euros,” Rossella Orlandi, head of the Treasury's tax collection agency, told reporters. She said the definitive revenue figure from the scheme was still not available.

Under the measure, people who had hidden funds in Italy or abroad to avoid taxes could declare the money in return for reduced penalties and an exemption from criminal proceedings.

Italy aims to reduce its budget deficit to 2.6 percent of gross domestic product this year from last year's level of 3.0 percent which was bang on the ceiling set by European Union rules.

揭露海外資產 義國稅收多賺40億歐元

義大利政府9日表示，逃稅者利用政府提供赦免的機會，申報藏匿海外的資金和財產，將可為政府帶進至少40億歐元（約台幣1461億元）的額外收益。

義大利經濟發布的聲明表示，去年12月提出、今年11月底截止的自動揭露計畫，提供逃稅者申報海外可課稅資產的最後機會，共讓近600億歐元的未申報財富曝光，其中約70%隱匿在瑞士，其次是摩納哥和巴哈馬。

赦免計畫允許納稅人在國內申報資產後，繼續將資產留在海外，所以只有約四分之一的新申報資產將匯回義大利。

財政部的聲明表示：「揭露隱匿財產帶來的稅收估計在38億歐元左右，若加上利息，最後進帳可輕易超越40億歐元大關。」

財政部次長卡塞洛9日表示：「自動揭露計畫改變了納稅人和國家間關係，計畫推出後，很多人持懷疑態度，但最後的數字和參與情況說明他們是錯的。」

義大利是歐盟第三大經濟體，目前必須在經濟成長減緩之際，絞盡腦汁來達到預算目標，這筆額外的收益可說來的正是時候。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/12/09/business/09reuters-italy-finances-amnesty.html

2015-12-10．聯合晚報．A6．國際焦點．編譯陳澄和