In the Italian general opinion an aeroplane is a luxuary private business jet.
Even the bloody politicians believe so. So they thought that taxing aeroplanes would earn 85 million revenue.
Reality is that all business jets are registered under commercial flying operations so are exempt from tax. That leaves only 1000 real private aeropanes, helicopters, gliders, experimentals and homebuilts - average value 50,000 euro - (and only six private really luxuary aircraft) that will pay tax for the grand actual total of 3.5 million.
Then an intellectually challenged member of parliament thought that italian aircraft owners would move Italian registrations to foreign registrations to not pay tax and added the 48 hour foreign tax.
This has caused such a mess that none of the authotities now know how to deal with the situation and are not answereing enquiries because they cannot explain the cock up.
Apologies for my language, but as an Italian, I am totally pissed off at having to pay a tax based on weight and not on value or age (a 1978 C172 pays as much as a brand new one) and ******* mad that real foreign pilots will not be coming to Italy any more.
A very unhappy Eagle