Today I had to pay my IMU - the local taxes. As a second home owner - and worse, a non-resident - I have the pleasure of paying a significant amount more than the locals. Ah well, such it is.
The U.K. process is as follows:
1. Receive letter
2. Pay by direct debit
3. Er...that's it
By contrast the Italian system works like this:
You go onto a website - which is normally only ready by about May-time, though the payment deadline is June - and enter your details to work out your tax. No help to say if you are right or wrong, of course. And, this being Italy, you can even work out how much your daily fine is for late payment.
You print out the page - one for each of you, because, as a couple, you are in 50% possession each, and must pay half each.
Then you go to the bank or post office - in my case, my branch of Monte Paschi Di Siena in Marsicano - and take a little ticket. This is an enhancement - it used to be simply a case of trying to work out, when you arrive, who you are behind (there's no queue of course, just a milling around of people) and then you watch them to see when it's your turn. 'Qui c'era' (who was there) is the constant call, even with the tickets. Of course it's easy to miss your turn - today I had 62, and I had spied the young man with 61. He didn't look like trouble but you never know...and the number stayed resolutely stuck on 58 for oh so long. There were of course 3 counters, but it was entirely unclear what 2 were doing, so we seemed doomed to wait for one.
Finally, the number ticked quickly past 59 and 60 to 61 - in ducked the young man - and about 30 seconds later a woman, sitting down on the left, got up and saw she had missed her moment! With a sigh, she simply took another ticket, now 68, and sat back down. Maybe she won't be served by 13:00, so she will be back again at 16:30.
My turn arrives, and the process is simple - well, for me. I just show my banking slip from last year and off we go. In order to provide a receipt the bank clerk needs a pair of scissors - because the form is marked down the centre with a dotted line - 2 different stamps and a stapler. So efficient....
And it is done. 45 minutes - not bad.
Truly, in an Italian bank, you get to know the meaning of infinity.
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