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Fri, 07/19/2013 - 11:04

So just wait for the Comune to bill you - the fine is comparable to paying an accountant to do it for you, and INAC will charge you too. Why waste your precious time on this ridiculous stuff?

Tue, 06/05/2012 - 09:18

I really cannot believe all this, it's like Alice in Wonderland or a work by Kafka (who worked for a year at the Assicurazioni Generali, an Italian insurance company!), no wonder the euro is on the skids! If I owe the Comune or the State tax on my house in Italy then they should send me a BILL! They know how to calculate IMU or whatever they want to call it now, because, unlike personal income tax, it is calculated using data that is available to their staff. Why on earth should I do their work for them? If the penalties are derisory, and it seems to be the case that they are simply a very small interest charge, then I will simply await a bill. When and if it arrives then I can pay it online in the comfort of my home. I will not queue up in some dingy office and be told to go to another dingy office where there might be a lady who might be able to fill in the form and who will expect to be tipped, then go to a post office, where they are very rude, and wait in another queue. Madness....

Mon, 05/28/2012 - 06:55

Here in Bagni di Lucca the local taxes are now online, allegedly! OK, so I log on to htpp://bagnidilucca.aegonline.it and guess what? Firefox rejects the site as insecure because it does not comply with the security checks: www.aegonline.it uses an invalid security certificate. The certificate is not trusted because no issuer chain was provided. (Error code: sec_error_unknown_issuer) Great! So I use another browser where I can bypass this and create an account - but that's not the end of it, now I have go to the Kafka style office, take a lie detector test and recite all my ID card details from memory. THEN they give me a PIN! Maybe just maybe I might find some information online about my IMU (now also called IMP) - why can't they just send me a bill like they do for TARSU (this was late)? Apparently AEG have been employed to create the online service, but they have failed spectacularly, see this horror story: http://iltirreno.gelocal.it/lucca/cronaca/2011/01/09/news/cartelle-ici-e-tarsu-una-valanga-di-errori-1.2260961 I would like to know what 'Aliquota stabilita dal Comune' applies, it will probably be the maximum permitted, 0.96%, then I calculate IMU = %/100 x C x 168 where C is the catastale value. As a resident then it's 0.4% and you subtract €200 from the tax. Obvious really! I think I forgot to do ICI last year, no reminder of course, does anyone know what the overdue interest rate is for ICI/IMU/IMP?

Thu, 11/17/2011 - 06:43

I was being slightly facetious, however according to Wikipedia costs are low: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel_generator

  • Fuel cost 11p - 16p/kWh (using red diesel at 40p/litre)
  • lifetime engine maintenance about is 0.5p/kWh - 1.0p/kWh

So one could put together a hybrid diesel/PV system that would eliminate the dreaded ENEL. I doubt if it would pay for itself in my lifetime!   I am considering a simple PV system, now that the panels are getting cheaper. Just hook up a 1kW array to a 1kW immersion heater in my DPS heat bank for near 100% efficiency, but that simply saves on LPG, not mains power. The 'full monty' PV systems are not really viable yet in my opinion, which is why I suppose all the roofs of industrial buildings are not covered with PV panels, but are restricted to 'green' enthusists!   So pay up and look pretty I'm afraid.

Wed, 11/16/2011 - 14:32

See my reply here: ItalyPowered

Wed, 11/16/2011 - 14:08

I have just received my first bill from ItalyPowered (acyually DSE) and guess what? They are more expensive than ENEL, and I am on the 6kW D3 tariff! Maybe they offer a saving on the D2 tariff - who knows? Clearly they have not done their homework, and neither did I! On my ENEL bill for 220kWh/month DSE was about the same, about 0.3 €/kWh, on a higher bill for 258kWh it was 0.223 €/kWh. I was pretty hacked off with ENEL, they charged me €500 to go from 3kW to 6kW, and changed me to non-resident as a result, so I believed ItalyPowered when they assured me I would be better off - sucker! So I'm searching eBay for a diesel generator at the moment....