A bride walks down a street in Syracuse, Sicily
This post is in partnership with Worldcrunch, a new global-news site that translates stories of note in foreign languages into English. The article below was originally published in LA STAMPA.
Life as a newlywed couple is never easy. After months of preparations, the wedding celebrations, and the return from the honeymoon, the new twosome should be set to finally start their new life together. But in Sicily, rather than happily-ever-after, newlyweds run in to a visit from the taxman.
The tax-collection agency for the Sicilian capital of Palermo has launched a crackdown on tax evasion in the lucrative wedding business. Some 2,000 couples from Palermo who have gotten married in the last five years have received a form from the local tax office requiring a full accounting for every detail of their ceremonies, which in Sicilian tradition tend to be extravagant affairs even if the bride and groom come from modest backgrounds.
The newlyweds are required to list who provided flowers, photos, wedding gifts, and the bride's bouquet, how much they paid and, most importantly, if they have received sales receipts, which are supposed to be mandatory for every sale or service in Italy. Despite the economic crisis, the wedding business is still very successful in Sicily, where an average ceremony costs 25,000 Euros. On the other hand, many dodge taxes. The sales receipts are the proofs that they are paying VAT. Too often they do not.
A young professional who got married in Palermo three months ago spoke with La Stampa of his experience. "A famous local photographer asked 2,500 Euros, but he invoiced only 1,000 Euros. We didn't receive sales receipts for the car we rented and for my wife and the other women's hairdresser and make up artist, for whom we paid a total of 1,500 Euros." On the other hand, the florist and the restaurant owner released receipts that included VAT. But the professional did not receive receipts from the violinist and organist who played in church.
It is pretty common. This is why Palermo Internal Revenue Service has started an investigation asking the newlyweds to declare all their wedding expenses. They won't be persecuted for evasion, but they are required to denounce the tax dodgers, under penalty of a fine.
Read the original article in Italian.
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