Italy’s marine trade association, UCINA, has sent an urgent plea to its country’s government to halt plans for the introduction of a new moorings tax.

Under the regime, which becomes law on the 1st May 2012, superyachts over 64m (210ft) will have to pay 256,595 euros in tax to use Italy as a home-port for one year.

«Our enterprises want to do their part for the future of the country, but the introduction of this moorings tax will have serious repercussions for the entire marine industry,» says UCINA president Anton Francesco Albertini.

«It threatens to deliver a final blow to our sector which is currently on its knees after the economic crisis of the last two years.

«Foreign yachts will be discouraged from staying along our coastlines and a 25 per cent fall in charter traffic will immediately cancel out any tax revenue gathered.» (Superyacht Business, 4 January 2012)
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