Brussel overweegt onderzoek naar belastinguitzonderingen voor katholieke kerk in Italië (en)
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission is considering whether to launch an investigation into tax exemptions provided by the Italian state to the catholic church in Italy.
"There is no investigation for the moment. We have addressed the Italian authorities and asked them for information about this," the commission's spokesman for competition told journalists on Tuesday (28 August).
He added that the EU executive is looking into "certain tax concessions" enjoyed by the Italian church, such as an exemption from communal tax, real estate tax or company tax.
Brussels was notified about the issue by a third party. Given that the Italian church carries out commercial activities - running schools, clinics and hotels - the commission is obliged to act as in any other cases of suspected illegal state aid.
A similar query has been launched into the activities and tax provisions for the catholic church in Spain and Belgium, the spokesman added.
Meanwhile, Italian media have reported that the Italian church has backed down and agreed to review the current tax rules with the country's government officials - following rising pressure from both Brussels and Rome itself.
Junior finance minister Paolo Cento in the Italian centre-left cabinet of Romano Prodi recently announced that the matter should be dealt with in the 2008 state budget.
But the statements by the EU regulators have sparked some angry reactions in Italy, according to the AGI agency.
"The idea that the European Commission should open a procedure against the Italian state for its financial provisions with religious institutions demonstrates a grave insensitivity to the religious culture of our nation," said Gianni Alemanno from the conservative National Alliance.