«To overcome the hourly limit for the administration of alcoholic beverages, we have proposed to the government the division between premises only for minors and only for adults . Those for minors would close at midnight and could not serve alcohol , the others could serve alcoholic beverages after 3 , until closing".

The idea comes from the national president of Silb-Fipe Confcommercio, Maurizio Pasca , on a visit to the confederation of northern Sardinia in Sassari . «The 3 o'clock time limit for the administration of alcohol seriously damages our business because - he explains - the premises fill up very late, from 2 onwards. We come from two years of forced closure due to the pandemic, which caused the cessation of many activities. We are starting again with great difficulty and this solution could be of great help, as well as guaranteeing an adequate degree of safety".

Then , the position taken against article 100 of the Tulps , the consolidated text of public safety laws, which establishes that the questore can suspend the license of a place where brawls or serious disorders have taken place is clear .

"We had a discussion with the Minister of the Interior who said that article 100 will not be modified but promised that provisions will be made so that the managers of the premises are called to a discussion with the questore before any provision , in order to be able to demonstrate any extraneousness to the crimes and thus avoid the suspension of activities», adds Pasca.

"It is not acceptable - the complaint - that the managers pay with the suspension of activities if there are no direct responsibilities against them for facts that most often occur outside".

ABUSIVENESS – As for abusiveness and unfair competition in this area, the cost for Italy is " about 2 billion euros ".

«Abusiveness - explains Pasca - is the problem that has the greatest impact on our activities. We have been fighting it for years without having any great results because sometimes there is even complacency on the part of the local administrations which do not want to intervene ».

PANDEMIC AND CLOSURES – Italian discos have paid dearly for the pandemic: according to Silb-Fibe Confcommercio, 30% of clubs have permanently closed their doors due to the two-year forced stop. «We are recovering – explains Pasca – but unfortunately 30 percent of the businesses have not been able to reopen . The other 70 percent with great difficulty have started working again and we hope for a better future».

TAXATION – Then there is the issue of «very high taxation – adds Pasca – with unequal treatment compared to other cultural and entertainment activities. We pay VAT at 22% while cinemas and theaters pay it at 10%. We pay 16% of the entertainment tax, 10% of Siae and 2% of related rights».

(Unioneonline/vl)

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