One thousand hires, cuts to bookstores, cinemas and 18-year-old bonus: here are the measures for culture in the maneuver

On October 31, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, signed the text of the budget bill for 2019 (the so-called “maneuver”), stamped by the State Accounting Office: the bill will therefore now be sent to the Houses of Parliament for the parliamentary process (so, of course, the contents will be subject to change). A number of measures for culture are planned, here are which ones (in order of how they appear): these are mainly spending reductions.

Establishment of an investment fund for territorial authorities with resources for public construction, maintenance of the road network, prevention of hydrogeological instability and seismic risk, and enhancement of cultural and environmental assets. Article 16 of the stamped text (“territorial entities investment fund”) provides for the creation of a fund for territorial entities that will be endowed with 3 billion euros for 2019, 3.4 billion for 2020, 2 billion for 2021, 2.6 billion for 2022, and figures always above 3 billion until 2033, then 1.5 billion for 2034. The allocations of resources among the various expenditure items, the text says, are identified “by Decree of the competent ministers, in agreement with the Minister of Economy and Finance, after agreement in the Unified Conference, within 90 days of the publication of the Prime Minister’s Decrees DPCM referred to in the previous period.”

One thousand hires at MiBAC and sliding of rankings. Article 28 (“recruitment in public administration”) states that by 2021 the MiBAC is to hire 1,000 staff, 500 per year: “in order to pursue more effectively the institutional missions, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities is authorized, by way of derogation from the hiring limits provided for by current legislation, in compliance with the current staffing level, to carry out competitive procedures for therecruitment, as of the year 2020, of 500 non-executive personnel, of which 250 units Area III-F1 and 250 Area II-F1 and, as of the year 2021, of an additional 500 non-executive personnel, of which 250 units Area III-F1 and 250 Area II-F1. The hiring costs arising from the implementation of this paragraph, amounting to 18,620,405 euros for the year 2020 and 37,240,810 euros as of the year 2021, shall be provided from the resources of the fund referred to in Article 1, paragraph 365, of Law No. 232 of December 11, 2016, letter b), as refinanced pursuant to paragraph 1 of this article.” In addition, provision is made for the sliding of the 2016 competition rankings: “in order to ensure better action for the protection and enhancement of the national cultural heritage, it is allowed to scroll, within the maximum expenditure limit of 3.75 million, for a number of positions exceeding 100 percent of the posts put up for competition, the rankings related to the public selection procedures announced pursuant to Art. 1, paragraphs 328 et seq. of Law No. 208 of December 28, 2015, in compliance with the headcount set forth in Table B annexed to the regulations set forth in Prime Ministerial Decree No. 171 of August 29, 2014. The coverage of the charges, as of the year 2019, shall be provided from the resources of the fund referred to in Article 1, paragraph 365, of Law No. 232 of December 11, 2016. letter b), as refinanced pursuant to paragraph 1 of this article.”

Rehabilitation of opera and symphony foundations. The functions of the extraordinary commissioner for the rehabilitation of opera-symphony foundations are extended until 2020: the resources for maintaining these functions will be found by reducing the resources of the Single Fund for Performing Arts. This is stated in Article 46, “rehabilitation of the lyric-symphonic foundations.”

Cuts in tax credits on bookstores and movie theaters. The maneuver includes, in Article 59 (“further measures to reduce spending”), the reduction of tax credits on bookstores and cinemas. “By decree of the Minister of Economy and Finance, in consultation with the Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities, to be adopted within 30 days from the date of entry into force of this law, for each of the tax credits in List No. 1 attached to this law, the percentage shares of the use of tax credits are established in such a way as to ensure positive effects on public finance balances of no less than 5,590,250 euros annually starting from the year 2020.” The list establishes a cut of 3,965,250 euros in the tax credit for movie theater exhibitors, 1,250,000 in tax credits (on amounts paid as IMU, TASI, TARI and rent expenses) for businesses operating in the book retail sector, and 375,000 in tax credits of publishing companies that invest in capital goods or in productive economic restructuring programs.

Cuts to the 18-year-old bonus. The fund for the culture bonus reserved for 18-year-olds suffers a cut of 20 million euros. This is stated in the same Article 59: “The appropriations budgeted under Law No. 205 of December 27, 2017, for the purposes referred to in Article 1, paragraph 979, of Law No. 208 of December 28, 2015, as amended, for the year 2019, amounting to 290 million euros, shall be reduced by an amount equal to 20 million euros.”

Cut in the expenditure containment grant to autonomous museums. Due to the fact that autonomous museums implement measures aimed at “ensuring more effective realization of the institutional objectives pursued aimed at ensuring higher own revenues as of the year 2019,” it is also stated in Article 2019, the contribution for expenditure containment intended for autonomous institutes is reduced by 2,350,000 euros.

Pictured: Montecitorio Palace. Ph. Credit Manfred Heyde.

One thousand hires, cuts to bookstores, cinemas and 18-year-old bonus: here are the measures for culture in the maneuver

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