The departure tax —which remains in place in Sardinia —is sparking controversy . The majority is divided after President Alessandra Todde's "no" to the allies at Monday's summit; the opposition, however, is moving in unison, agreeing with the business community. The result is a heated debate, with the privatization of Sardinian airports in the background .
In Campo Largo, the Democratic Party (PD) is the main opposition to the regional compensation for the €6.50 each passenger pays when departing from the island's airports. To cover the entire tax, the regional government would have to spend around €36 million . "But Sardinia's coffers would receive around €10 million more if the VAT from new foreign passengers were factored in," says Paolo Truzzu, leader of the FdI group in the regional council. Orizzonte Comune, the majority party, has always supported a middle ground: the region could offset the tax only during the shoulder months , namely autumn and winter, which would keep the cost at around €14 million. The civic party reminds Todde that the cancellation of the municipal passenger boarding tax "is in the electoral platform."
And while Stefano Schirru , councilor for Alleanza Sardegna, reminds the Democrats that "they don't want to support Sardinia's development but privatize the island's airports" (his UDC colleague, Alice Aroni, makes the same observation), Confapi Sardegna points out that "the international situation requires immediate decisions to prevent airline flight and support growth and employment, particularly in tourism ," says Gianfrancesco Lecca, vice president for Transport. From Federalberghi , Paolo Manca points out that the tax would be covered by "Sardinian resources," so "every euro invested must generate a guaranteed return for the entire local economy."
