The cost of red tape for small and
medium-sized Italian enterprises stood at 30.9 billion euros in
2013, or 7,005 euros per business, the Italian artisan
association said Tuesday.
Confartigianato said nearly two-thirds of the 629 new tax
rules passed between 2008 and 2014 increased new red tape
compliance costs, "creating a climate that is hostile to doing
business".
Italy is in 23rd place among the 28 European Union
countries and in 65th place globally in the World Bank's ease of
doing business ranking for 2014.
The artisans' association laid part of the blame at the
door of online services which it said in the age of internet
remained inefficient.
"Just 21% of Italians communicate with the public
administration online, against an European average of 41%,"
Confartigianato said in a statement.
Red tape also prevents "the concrete application of
regulations" and so in Italy "laws continue to be produced that
remain dead letter", the association added.
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