Real Estate VAT tax

Hello slh43

Welcome to Expat.com

Hope somebody will help you soon.

Regards
Kenjee
Expat.com Team

Thanks Kenjee

I purchased my home in the same way, but then I moved my residence in the new apartment in time, so I could pay the reduced amount of 4%.. You were lacking someone in Italy giving you advice and remembering your schedules. Anyway, now you've been asked the normal amount that those who buy a 2nd home have to pay. I think there is the possibility to get a payment plan / deferment. If you're not fluent in the italian language I would search a "commercialista" with experience in this field (a real estate agent could give you the name) or at least a native speaker able to clearly interact with the taxation office.

bye

Paolo

Thank you very much Paolo.  I do understand that we owe the money.  We do know people in Italy that might be able to follow up for us.  I am glad you think that a payment plan might be a possibility.  Enjoy the rest of your summer.
slh43

Hi slh43, this is normal.. Speak to the office that issued the summons . Be kind and very patient with them ;-) and as Paolo has already said, get a pro who speaks English. I have a English accountant if you need him. Whatever you do, pay it. Otherwise they will give it to Equitalia and it will becomes a nightmare. They wont take the house but the amount they quoted you will become a lot more very quickly. They first start with taking your possessions and they really don't care. It's a private business run for profit so act quickly. Hope this helps..!

Hi edwardsital,
Thanks for the info. I would never be anything but diplomatic. As I said, I know we owe the money, it's just that we don't have it in a lump sum. I am hoping they will consider a payment plan of some sort.

Just they have a way of making the most patient of people want to scream and shout :-) I'm sure you'll be able to sort something out. I had a client that did something similar and they had to pay around 25,000.. I know for speeding fines, etc you can pay monthly so I'm sure they'll do you a deal. If they see you are willing to pay they will be fine. Sorry if I implied you are respectful. Just Italy has a way of getting under your skin and it's really good you are not blaming them. That's where some get themselves into big troubles. Hope it goes well!!

I think it will go well. There's a huge crisis in Italy and without the possibility to defer / plan payments everyone would already be belly up.  ciao

Paolo

edwardsitaly your comments are very helpful and I thank you. slh43

Paolo TN - I feel reassured after reading your post. We would be among the belly-up if we had to pay what they are asking all at once. Thank you kindly for your comments.
Ciao - slh43

You must go to equitation they will give you a 60 or 72 monthly installments payment method ok then you pay easily 👌

Equitalia office name in near your house in italy
Sorry for the spelling error

Hi ferdous2014,
What is Equitalia?  Thank you - that is good news!  slh43

Why don't you have someone live in your house while you are not there? Would this avoid the tax?

Vincente

Hi Vincente,
That may be the case. I am not sure, but I think it is too late.  I have an Italian friend who is going to talk to them for us, but not sure how it will all turn out. We are going to consider renting it out when we are not there, but we need to be there to arrange everything first.
Thank you for your thoughts.
Susan

Hi Susan,
Where is your property located? I would consider living there part time. I have dual citizenship (US and Italian) so wouldn't have any visa issues. Currently living in CA but I do want to live in Italy part time to beef up my language skills.

Vincente

PS. I grew up on South Shore and lived in Boston for quite a few years!

Hi Vincente,
The house is in Sefro - Marche. It is in a mountain valley, about 1 hour from Ancona to the east and 2 1/2 hours by train from Rome. Sefro has a website you should check out. It is a charming little village.  Has a grocery store, pharmacy and bakery. It also has a nice hotel with a very good restaurant. There are about 500 people in the village - very little English is spoken, but sign language has gotten us what we need :-)  The house is a medieval structure, but the inside is all brand new, It has 4 stories including the cantina (garage level), 3 bedrooms and two full baths and the kitchen/living room on the first floor in the Italian tradition. I will send you pictures through my email if you would like. This sounds potentially interesting.
Susan

I just saw your post about growing up on the South Shore.  We live about 35 miles southwest of Boston!

So you live down by Foxboro? (Patriots are finished! Or I should say Tom Brady) I was born in Worcester and lived in Rockland/Hanover as a boy. Never heard of Sefro (yes send photos!) but sounds interesting. I have been to Ancona. So if it sounds like it might be something your interested in then we can chat on the phone at some point. I am basically semi-retired so could be very flexible to accommodate your schedules. I have great references both here in US and Italy. Germany as well. Also have a clean criminal background check.

Send photos to vfc@riberafoto.com

Vincente

We raised our kids in Millis, sold our house after 32 years to downsize in Milford about 8 years ago where we bought a duplex., then downsized again in Blackstone 2 years ago. Not crazy about Blackstone, but we found a really nice rental which is perfect for going back and forth to Italy.  I worked at Umass Medical in Worcester for 6 years. My husband and I are both retired. I am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, so occassionally do substitute school nursing just to keep my mind from turning to mush.
I'm afraid you are right about the Pats - sore subject in this house!
I will go through my pictures and send you some.
Susan

Hi Susan,
Just wanted to check to see if you received my last email (Friday) and if you had anymore thoughts?

Ciao,
Vincente

Hi Vincente,
The last email I received was on Fri at about 7:30 pm and it had that great picture of Simon.  Did you receive my reply to that?
Ciao,
Susan

No. Last one I received was Friday morning. I checked my spam box and nothing there. Try sending it again, if you can.

Still no emails. Not sure what is going on. Still getting other emails.

Vincente

Hi Vincente,
I re-sent the emails twice.  It is probably something I am doing on this end.
Anyway what I said first was how beautiful and soulful Simon's eyes were and that he was lucky to have had you for whatever time there was.
I received a couple of emails from my friends in Italy who are trying to sort things out for us.  I'm thinking I got the horse before the cart a bit. Issues of concern - of course the VAT - not sure what will transpire with that.  Some other taxes as well as a gas bill the size of the national debt (they have turned off the gas until we pay the entire bill).  All to be dealt with before I can consider renting the property.  I apologize for involving you prematurely.  I tend to be somewhat impulsive when I get enthused about something. I hope this has not caused you any problems. I will certainly contact you at a more appropriate stage in the process if you are still interested. It has been a pleasure talking with you.
Take care,
Susan

Hi Susan,
I totally understand so no worries! Holding off probably makes sense on your part. Definitely let me know if you want to work together in the future. Either way stay in touch, maybe we can meet up in Italy someday.

Tom Terrific redeemed himself Sunday night eh?  He needs to just keep playing hard and stop pouting.


Parliamo più tardi,

Vincente

You are so understanding - thank you. 

Yes, the old Tom seemed to be resurrected. I got a laugh when the news showed  Tom's priest praying for him on Sun. "because he has had a little trouble lately."  I guess his priest has a vested interest in maintaining Tom"s income in the millions.(Forgive me)  Of course his wife earns about 36 million a year, so there is no real danger of poverty in the Braydy household
.
Has Simon's sister been back?

That email thing is so weird. Do you have another email address I could try?

You sent me to Bing translator with your Italian...yes we will!

Susan

I saw that priest on the news with David Muir! You're so right about Tom. The guy is so blessed that he tends to lose focus on that. He is the last person who should be pouting. Maybe Giselle wised him up!

Not sure what the email issue is. I would suspect yahoo. I am receiving other emails so I think my end is ok. Check your draft or outbox folder and see if they are in there. Also try this email lagunacat@gmail.com (this is the one I use for Expat.com).

Yes Sassy has returned and seems to be settling in. I have made her a bed in the mud room and also feeding her. I've also been in touch with her owner and she is happy to know she is ok. She is more of an outdoor cat and tends to prowl at night. Simon was the opposite. He loved being in at night and always stayed close to home. She is currently napping in my bed. 😽 Couldn't figure out how to enclose a photo here.

Ciao,
Vincente

I didn't realize Sassy was her name - I thought you were describing the way she was napping - dah!
I sent you some pics.  Let me know if you don't get them.
Animals have a wonderful sense of a person's nature.  I think Sassy is now yours.

Ciao,

Susan

Got the pics. So cute the 'jail' one. Didn't know you brought two of them over! I think you're right about Sassy. She sleeps in my bed all day, right where Simon slept. So strange considering Sassy had never been here before and now she has taken up the same routine as her brother. And they're so similar in their behavior!

I am planning to purchase an apartment in Fano so you questions were of interest to me. Perhaps you could share with me you experience with owning a property in Italy? I too will be living there only part of the year. I live in Farmington Connecticut. My permanent residence will remain in Connecticut.
Did I read correctly that you live in Mass.?
Hope your tax issue gets resolved in your favor and do hope to hear from you.

Carol

Hi Carol,
The VAT tax can be associated with a number of different types of purchases with real estate being one.  At time of purchase of a home there are 2 options.  The first is 4% on the purchase price intended for those planning on taking up residence 6 or more months out of a calendar year.  The second is 10% of the purchase price (heafty!) intended for those who know they will not be spending 6 months out of the year in their Italian home.  The problem arises when a person takes advantage of the lower rate, then for  whatever reason does not follow through with the residency requirement.  When the authorities become aware - not sure how they find out - they have the right to demand payment of the 10% in full,  I did get an offer for a payment plan, but the installments are so high it is not helpful. They do have the right to foreclose on your property for non-payment.  So far that has not happened.  I have friends over there looking into it, but I am not sure how it will be resolved.
We love our place in Italy, love the village, the people  and their way of life. It is not cheap living, though. The exchange rate is finally starting to shift a bit in the dollar's favor, so that is helpful.
Yes, we live in MA - have for almost 40 years. We are fairly close to the RI border.
Let me know if you have other questions although I obviously am not an expert :-)
Sue

Hey Vincente,

Just wanted to say hi.  Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving!

Sue

Hey slh43,
I live in sanremo imperia province in italy
Tell me about the situation but don't pay anything right now I am permanent card holder
I have the advocate and commercialista
Send your copy of the house planimetri

Hey ferdous2014,
We bought a house in Sefro - Marche - about 3 years ago and paid the 4% VAT with every intention of spending half the year there each Spring through Fall.  The first year we missed because we had some health issues and could not travel.  The second year our dog was diagnosed with lymphoma and she couldn't travel and we would not leave her here to die without us.  This past Spring we received the paperwork stating we needed to pay what amounts to about $15,400 in full or they would foreclose on our house. We do not have that kind of money or we would have paid it. We have friends who speak Italian and spoke to someone about it.  We then got more paperwork offering a payment plan, but the installments were so large we could not even consider doing that.  That is where it stands right now.
What is the house planimetri?  I just want to tell you that we are not in a good financial place currently to pay for your help but I appreciate your interest.
slh43