Seaside resorts on a war footing due to state fees rising by more than 25%.
An increase defined by Antonio Capacchione , president of the Italian Bathing Union which is a member of Confcommercio, and Maurizio Rustignoli , president of Fiba-Confesercenti, "unjustified and unfair" and against which a meeting with the government is urgently requested.
«Giorgia Meloni keep the promises of the electoral campaign», explains the president of Fiba Confesercenti Rustignoli, according to which «the 25.15% increase in fees (the minimum at 3,377.50 euros) must be suspended, the result of the change in the Istat index, announced last Friday.
«It should have been a maximum of 11%, instead it is more than double » adds Rustignoli, also underlining that «the implementing decrees on competition for tenders from 2024 must be approved by February, which are not possible for us : what will the government do? Meloni said he would have worked for a different application of Bolkestein ».
The increase in fees - continues the president of Fiba Confesercenti - is a worrying news for our category, in a moment of uncertainty also linked to the application of the Bolkestein directive and the damage caused to many establishments by the storm surges of recent months. The minimum fee also applies to those who have to request a temporary extension, for example for a beach volleyball court: in this way there is a risk of impoverishing the tourist offer on the beach » .
Again, continues Rustignoli, «as a category we are not opposed to reviewing the amounts of the fees, which on average are 8-10 thousand euros a year and are low, we recognize it. But it must be done with an organic intervention and a method that provides for the correct evaluation of the beaches, classifying them on the basis of profitability and giving a correct value to the square meter: in this way the State would enhance its own good".
«During the electoral campaign – concludes Rustignoli – the president Meloni said that they would work for a different application of Bolkestein. There is still time to fulfill the promises but I fear that, for example, the mapping of the coasts has not yet started . It is essential to demonstrate that the resource of beaches already mapped for tourist-recreational settlements and not yet assigned is not scarce: if the resource is not scarce, then the application of the directive can be postponed.
(Unioneonline/lf)
