Silvio Berlusconi and the property tax refund

Wednesday, February 20, 2013. A massive mailshot of letters with the words "Important notice: reimbursement of [propriety tax] IMU 2012" printed on the envelope was sent to Italian voters by Silvio Berlusconi People of Freedom party, triggering queues of inquiring at Post Offices and revenue services' agency.

Silvio Berlusconi promising to abolish IMU (and refund the tax paid in 2012)

“How and when to obtain in 2013 the refund the [property tax] IMU paid in 2012 on the first house and land and farm buildings” recites the object of the letter – sent to millions of households and duly signed by Silvio Berlusconi – who addresses the recipients with a warm “Dear Maria” or “Dear Giovanni”, depending if the addressed person  is a man or a woman.

The letter goes on detailing that the payment can be carried out "to your current bank account or, for pensioners and others who prefer this method, in cash at the Post Office counter". In a country like Italy were almost 40 per cent of inhabitants never used Internet and the main source of information is the television, it might be easy to take it for granted that the tax will be paid back. Especially if you are a pensioner, and somebody is showing you the colour of money...

Important notice!

Queues have already been forming at Post Offices and Revenue Agency branches, since the letters were delivered.

The reimbursement of the tax isn't – of course – a fact, but just a pledge from the ex-prime minister, who said it will be a topic of the first cabinet meeting. If the Italians will vote for him.

A “brilliant idea”, accordingly to disgraced Northern League former leader Umberto Bossi. A “scam” accordingly to Pier Luigi Bersani, PD (“Democratic Party”) leader and prime-minister candidate for the centre-left coalition, who called Berlusconi a “trickster”. An “electoral fraud” and “vote-buying scheme” according to former anti-mafia prosecutor Antonio Ingroia, leader of the Rivoluzione Civile (“Civil Revolution”) party, who said he will report the wrongdoing of the ex-premier to the police. Mario Monti would definitely think it's the umpteenth charming tune of a pied piper. The comedian-turned-politician Beppe Grillo also slammed Silvio's trick, but he is being equally mauling any other Italian politician, starting from Pier Luigi "Dead Man Walking" Bersani.

Some of the letters were sent also to inhabitants of L'Aquila, who had their propriety destroyed by the earthquake that struck Abruzzo region in 2009. 

The “brilliant idea”, which is meant to help closing the gap (of about 5 percentage points) with the centre-left (election will take place next Sunday) might turn out to be a blunder?

Video from our YouTube Channel: Berluschannel