CANONE RAI Italy – Taxing Your Entertainment
Dear Expats, how many of you watch Italian programs and channels at home?
Well, I know it’s just a small portion of the expats. I know many expats who pay extra for the viewing pleasure of their home country channels. But for regular channels in Italy? Is it not free?
And there is an illusion that the Canone RAI Italy is only for subscribing to TV channels like RAI.
So, does it mean we are not obliged to pay this CANONE RAI? Come, let us review these in detail.
What is CANONE RAI Italy
Canone RAI Italy is not a subscription to the channel, but a tax to be paid if you have any receivers in your home. Simply put – a TV tax.
Most expats relocate to Italy, live and work for a few years and return to their home country or a place of better opportunity.
So the interest in learning the local language is by default minimal among these skilled workers, and in turn, they do not consider watching Italian channels.
But many own a TV and use it to view those movies streamed in their language or Hollywood movies and series.
While the name may sound like that, the reality is irrespective of whether you watch RAI channel or not, you need to pay for this. Mere possession of a TV entitles you to pay this tax. In this digital world, I wonder if there is really any house without a TV or digital receivers.
This tax is implicit, meaning if you do not say otherwise you are entitled to pay the tax automatically for Canone RAI Italy.
Until 5-6 years before, the Italian government used to send the TV tax by post. It was the individual’s duty to pay for it. Since this was sent in regular postal service – read no acknowledgement that you received it – many used to tear it and throw it. The numbers were so huge that the government had to decide on alternatives.
And they succeeded. All they did was add this to the energy bills of the house, and the responsibility is now with the energy providers to collect and transfer it to the government.
Now people are left with no option but to pay for Canone RAI Italy, right?
Who should pay CANONE RAI Italy?
Simple. Every family that owns a TV on the premises should pay for this.
And as usual, the Italian government had multiple pages of legal documents that gave exemptions, conditions etc etc. To summarize, people above the age of 75 and families earning less than around 7000 euros are exempted from paying this.
What if you do not have a TV?
How to claim an exemption for CANONE RAI
So, how could you inform the authorities that you do not own a TV?
Yes, very well. But this is an ever-continuing process that has to be done every year.
You can do it in several ways. For detailed instructions, you can refer to the official website of Agenzia for reference.
- Online portal of Agenzia delle Entrate
- Sending an email to cp22.canonetv@postacertificata.rai.it using your PEC or the certified email
- Download the form from Agenzia official web portal, fill it out, and send it using raccomandata.
Make sure to send the request before the beginning of the year you want to get the exemption. Yes, in order to be effective for the entire year, the request must be submitted between July 1 of the previous year and January 31 of the relevant year. The declaration submitted from February 1 and by June 30 of the reference year is effective for the July-December half-year of the same year.
So, mark your calendar and do not forget to do this for each year you need the exemption.