Dear all,
A number of question marks have been attached to this year’s cruising and chartering in Italian waters. While the fact that no precise information was available has inhibited us from circulating statements previously, we would like to update you now about the current situation as we understand it.
a) The law on collecting a luxury tax in Sardinia on yachts and private planes has been ratified and is in force.
b) The tax can now be paid to the local authorities e.g. at the post office.
c) Apparently yachts currently there will have “a period of grace” until 9th August to pay.
d) It could well be that yachts visiting Sardinia and leaving before 9 August without having paid the tax could be fined upon their next return to Sardinia.
e) Lawyers are still debating whether the tax is applicable to commercial yachts – the local government however does interpret it that way, but the legal situation is still very unclear.
f) Last but not least, legal information indicates that yachts anchoring only in Sardinian waters are not affected by the law, but again, this has not yet been in any way tested or confirmed by the authorities.
This tax is due, probably for all yachts stopping in Sardinian waters. The only way to avoid paying the tax without taking any risks is to avoid visiting Sardinia this summer. How to deal with the tax with regard to Charter Agreements has to be agreed upon between Owners and Charterers on a case-by-case basis. The details would depend on the cruising plans and the charter bookings of each individual yacht.
Apparently the Italian Coast Guard intends to enforce existing Port Entry Regulations for commercial vessels also on commercial yachts. This means that each movement of a commercial yacht in Italian ports (including some anchorages) must be supported by appropriate documentation and a proper clearance procedure. For most yachts/captains this will entail the use of a shipping agent.
MYBA Board members, together with Carlo Agliardi of Fraser Yachts, are busy discussing solutions with the Italian authorities as well as with the association of Italian shipping agents, with the intent to achieve a sensible, practicable and affordable solution (within the limits of possibility, considering that such regulations seem to make very little sense especially for the smaller commercial yachts and the smaller ports/marinas).
At this stage a proposal has been drafted by the Italian shipping agents with a view to simplifying the standard procedure for yachts. An answer from Rome is outstanding. Once the details of the applicable procedures are known, we shall further negotiate the applicable terms with the shipping agents.
In any case we look forward to receiving information from managers and brokers about the requirements that yachts are being confronted with in Italian ports. As soon as more useful information is available on any of the two topics, we shall update you again.
Kind regards,
Peter Hurzeler
CEO, OCEAN Independence and President of MYBA
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24 June 2006 | Subscribe to our RSS feed 
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