Penny's activity

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Answer to: ITALIAN ELECTION
Wed, 02/27/2013 - 09:27

I suspect RAM's original prediction might well be correct. My personal opinion is that the majority of those that voted for Grillo did so as they feel they have nothing to lose and that they are not heard and so I am not convinced his support will fall at any subsequent election. This will also depend upon if the movement sticks to its principles in the meantime. I cannot be dismayed/disappointed or any other adjective when the people of a democracy express their opinion via the ballot box. That is the whole point of an election and I find it extremely irritating to read or hear people saying it is a disaster for the country. It might be or it might not be, but the point is it will be a disaster or succes of the people's choosing and not some grey-suited elderly man on €32k a month who is only in it for the money or his personal gain. These people (like the Eurocrats) are so removed from everyday life and coccooned in their own little world that they have little or nothing in common with regular people. What other voice do the young of Italy have today? They are not represented by the political establishment. They see no jobs on the horizon. They have little opportunities. Good on M5S I say. Italy is ripe for a change and I very much hope they are able to achieve it. For that we will just have to wait and see.

Thu, 02/21/2013 - 18:12

I'm not sure what he is wondering about payment of the technician but he will have to pay him. The rest sounds like a very Italian experience. Nothing untoward about it IMHO.

Answer to: radiators
Fri, 02/08/2013 - 11:28

Sebastiano is correct but radiators in Italy are much more expensive than in the UK. No idea why but they are.

Answer to: letting advice
Thu, 02/07/2013 - 09:48

In answer to your questions: 1. Yes you do. It is all done electronically now (alledgedly in all provinces but Ascoli see to be a bit behind) via your local SUAP website. For this you will need an Italian PEC (digital secure email address) and an Italian digital signature. This is the case for Fermo anyway. You also need to register with the Polizia dello Stato as all guests have to be registrered within 24 hours of their arrival. Luckily you can do all that online now. Sebastian wrote about it recently in another post. 2. This is trickier. Rental income is supposed to go on your Italian tax return. If you are not obliged to do one (you will need to check this with an accountant) then I would say the tax is due in the UK. I have been renting my house but am resident in Italy so have to pay tax on it here. There is a scheme whereby you only pay 19% tax but cannot deduct expenses. It is called Cedolare Secca. Maybe someone who is resident in the UK can advise better on the tax situation.

Thu, 02/07/2013 - 09:40

There we go - the definitive answer! It does make sense as you are supposed to register the car in Italy after a certain period of it 'living' here. I can't remember if it is 6 or 12 months. Where I live now, the car checks are a lot more thorough and more often that they were in Marche so  don't think people would be able to not comply so easily.

Fri, 02/01/2013 - 15:11

It's only Italian tolls and it costs around €1 every 2 months or something. There are no discounts on the tolls so you are paying for the convenience of it.

Fri, 02/01/2013 - 11:29

If you drive a RHD car like us then it is a pain if you're on your own as you can't reach the cash bins. That's an advantage plus you get dedicated lanes so it can be quicker at busy toll boths. It's no cheaper though :-(

Answer to: 5.0 earthquake
Fri, 02/01/2013 - 06:30

I think people will be being super cautious now after the conviction of the earthquake experts involved in Aquila.

Thu, 01/24/2013 - 13:20

You should be able to do a SORN in the UK so you don't have to pay road tax but there are very few UK insurers who will let you keep your UK car out of the UK for that length of time and have it insured. On here people have used Saga and another one. If you do a search you'll find the threads.