We were looking forward to moving back onboard Escapade in April after a wonderful season of skiing in Italy’s beautiful Dolomites. Escapade needed some TLC as expected but the weather was much wetter than we anticipated slowing us down. We jumped through hoops with the legendary Italian bureaucracy to replace our two roller furling systems without paying the onerous 22% IVA tax providing the authorities with endless documentation. Back in the day foreign boats known as “yachts in transit” were able to purchase maintenance items tax free if they weren’t residing in the country, rather just passing through.

The Italian government’s (and others in the Eurozone to lesser degrees) zeal to raise governmental revenue has had the opposite effect. Many people in the marine business lamented how bad business has become primarily as a result of the fiscal policies. A Volvo concessionaire in Lavagna complained that his business was down a full 30% over the last four years. We were able to get the IVA tax waived on a couple of big ticket items, but the hassle is just not worth it for the smaller vendors. Once you get the waiver it is only good for that one business, you have to start all over again for the next vendor! What foreign flagged vessel would buy anything here!

About a year ago they tried to implement a heavy tax for cruising in Italian waters…clearer heads prevailed and it was quickly abandoned. The problem is the politicians are short-sighted, they play to the public perception that anyone with a boat is rich, and should be taxed. Fair enough, maybe. But what quickly happens is the boats go where they are welcomed hurting the marinas, vendors, technicians, restaurants, bars, stores, etc., etc. We love Italy and the Italians, but we will not be having any unnecessary work done on Escapade in Italian waters. We have already paid income tax in the US.

Between all the energy wasted procuring the IVA exemption and the additional IVA that we would have to pay the Italian boatyard we started our season without doing the haul out and bottom job that we needed.

While I’m on my mini-rant let me mention the Guardia Finanzia, the agency that ensures your vessel hasn’t overstayed its allowed 18 months in the EU. They’re the people with all the fast looking boats in the port, the guys sitting in cars wearing shades watching the boats come and go. They boarded us three times requiring reams of paperwork to be filled out each time…even when I showed them the paperwork from our previous boarding(s). I guess they are just hoping to hit the jackpot and find a foreign boat that has overstayed so they can charge them the 22% tax. On the third boarding I wasted a lot of time in an attempt to show them how they were chasing maritime business away from Italy. When I arrive with my boat I want the local authorities to say “Welcome Mr. Greg” as the money starts falling off the boat onto the quai! Needless to say I didn’t get anywhere with my logic…

Time to move on…off to the Lipari Islands, the “boot” of Italy and to Brindisi, our jumping off point for our Adriatic cruise.