The faster payment times of the Public Administration are not enough to reduce the stock of trade payables which are confirmed to be constantly increasing. Coming to touch 52 billion euros. An amount that includes the current portion, but not the capital account, which amounts to another 6/7 billion euros.
This was denounced by the CGIA Studies Office which analyzed Eurostat data for 2020. According to the association of artisans, “many payments continue not to be made; therefore, these outstanding payments increase the stock of debt accumulated in previous years. According to the data presented last week by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (Mef), for example, last year our PA received invoices from its suppliers for a total amount of 152.7 billion euros, but paid 142.7, helping to increase the commercial debt by another 10 billion euros ”.
Worse: non-payments amounted to 3.1% of GDP, the worst figure among all 27 EU countries. “Among our main commercial competitors – continues the CGIA – we point out that Spain has a paltry 0.8 percent (in absolute terms the debt is equal to 9.5 billion euros), France 1.4 percent (€ 33.2 billion) and Germany 1.6 per cent (€ 54.2 billion). It should also be emphasized that among the countries just mentioned, in the annus horribilis of the pandemic, current-only trade debts decreased. In Italy, on the other hand, they continued to grow, registering a worrying +6 percent compared to 2019 ».
This is why the EU Court also stressed that Italy violates the European directive on payment times and last week the European Commission sent the government a formal notice on non-compliance with the provisions of the directive approved 10 years ago. In addition, another procedure still open against our country concerns the code of public contracts which provides for a payment term of 45 days, when at EU level the deadline, however, is 30 days.
“To solve this age-old question that is putting a lot of SMEs to the test, there is only one thing for the CGIA to do: provide for the direct, direct and universal compensation between certain liquid and collectible credits accrued by a company by law. of the PA and the tax and social security debts that the same must pay to the Treasury. Thanks to this automatism we would solve a problem that we have been carrying on for decades. Without liquidity available, in fact, many artisans and as many small entrepreneurs find themselves in serious difficulty and, paradoxically, risk having to permanently close the business, not for debts, but for too many credits not yet collected ».
According to the Mef data published last week, in 2020 the State Administrations paid on average after 55 days from receipt of the invoice, the Local Authorities (Municipalities, Union of Municipalities and Mountain Communities) after 50 and the Autonomous Regions-Provinces and the other Bodies (mainly foundations) after just over 30. The CGIA reminds that the law establishes that for these sectors, payment must be made within 30 days of receipt of the invoice. The only two sectors that, on the other hand, last year respected the law were healthcare, which although it can pay within 60 days has liquidated suppliers on average after 45 days, and the National Public Bodies (Chambers of Commerce, State Monopolies , Bank of Italy, Post Offices, Universities, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, etc.), with an average time of 28 days, 2 before the deadline set by the regulations for this sector.