The 2026 budget, worth a total of €22 billion, is ready to be presented to the Senate Chamber after receiving approval from the Budget Committee. Discussions in the Senate Chamber will begin tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. Along with the most well-known measures, such as the reduction of the second income tax rate from 35% to 33% for incomes up to €50,000, the scrapping of assets, short-term rentals, banks, insurance companies, construction bonuses, and aid for families, the text approved by the Committee emphasizes that hyper-depreciation will be granted until September 30, 2028, for business investments in capital goods.
The rate is increased by 180% for investments up to €2.5 million, by 100% for investments over €2.5 million and up to €10 million, and by 50% for investments over €10 million and up to €20 million in relation to "investments in goods produced in one of the Member States of the European Union" or in countries adhering to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, made between January 1, 2026, and September 30, 2028.
On the cuts front, in addition to the €10 million cut for RAI, the Fund for Development and Cohesion has also been hit, with resources reduced by €300 million for 2026 and €100 million for each of 2027 and 2028. "In the end, they decided to cut the FSC fund, which means giving money to expensive materials on the one hand and cutting back on the works on the other," said Senator Raffaella Paita, leader of Italia Viva in the Senate.
And at a time of great tension with Vladimir Putin's Russia, "to protect national interests," the budget allocates "a contribution of 200,000 euros" for each of the years 2026 and 2027 to the Med-Or Foundation for research, studies, and publications "on Russian influence activities" in Europe and North Africa , with particular reference to "military risks, sabotage of critical infrastructure, interference in electoral processes, and infiltration of the political and media system."
Also with a focus on security, starting in 2026, an additional €4.7 million per year will be allocated to "strengthen and stabilize the contingent of Carabinieri personnel on surveillance and escort duty at foreign headquarters." According to the timetable, the bill will be presented to the Senate tomorrow, with approval expected on Tuesday. Once it passes the Senate floor, the budget bill will be immediately transmitted to the Chamber of Deputies. The general debate in the Chamber of Deputies will begin on December 28th, while the government will submit a motion of confidence on the bill the following day. The final vote is scheduled for Tuesday , the 30th. Final approval of the budget must be achieved by December 31st, otherwise it will be provisionally budgeted, a situation the government clearly intends to avoid.
(Unioneonline)