[:it]The appeal of a thousand to the Government: don't let Italian bars die[:]
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A letter directed to President Conte, to request a series of measures useful for the survival of Italian bars and clubs in this difficult moment and in the period to come.
It is the idea of Paolo Baccino of "The Balance Cocktail Bar" of Savona and Luca Marcellin of "Drinc" of Milan, who in three days brought together a thousand signatories and aim to find many more by Thursday.
All operators in the sector can join the initiative before the letter is sent by writing to WhatsApp at the number 3385402989 or to the email address info@thebalance.it, indicating your name, surname, the name of your business and the city.
Below is the full text of the letter which was written with the support of the Bargiornale magazine.
For the attention of
Professor Giuseppe Conte, President of the Council of Ministers
and for information a
Nunzia Catalfo, Minister of Labour
Stefano Patuanelli, Ministry of Economic Development
Dario Franceschini, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism
Roberto Speranza, Ministry of Health
Dear President Conte,
We are writing to you on behalf of hundreds of venues throughout Italy. From North to South, from East to West of our country. We know he is going through a bad time and dealing with one of the most dramatic situations of the last seventy years. This is why we are with you. We hope it ends quickly, we hope we can get through
breath and in a return of Italians to enjoy their habits, even if partially modified.
Do you remember the aperitif in your favorite bar? How much do you miss a drink with friends, a few words in an intimate and romantic restaurant, going out with a group of friends? Do you remember the "pizza" after the soccer match or the business dinner to conclude an important contract? We remember eating fish
by the sea on a shaky table, but with a breathtaking view? Do you remember the aperitif at the table of the historic café when you visited Piazza San Marco? How much do you miss all this? How long are the Italians missing? How much will our fellow citizens need all this and how important is it for the fantastic image of hospitality we have in the world?
Our sector, historically, is an integral part of the tradition, culture and economy of our country.
Please Mr President, do not allow all this magic created by an entire sector, that of hospitality, to be lost.
Don't let Italian savoir-faire and charm cease to exist.
Don't let all those fantastic places called "bars" or "cafés", characteristic and unique in the world, disappear.
Don't let foreign tourists find their favorite places closed when they return to Italy.
Don't allow bars and restaurants (in the hospitality sector we are recognized as masters of hospitality all over the world) to close their doors for reasons beyond their control to contribute to the growth of the national prestige that they have been fueling for decades.
Don't allow so many workers to be fired because the employer will no longer be able to afford to raise the shutter.
Don't let everything connected with this world fade away.
I know that the greatest challenge now is to defeat this enemy. We don't doubt it and we are the first to support it. However, we think that guidelines should be planned in parallel with a view to reopening.
Agreeing on the next steps with the leading experts in the sector: the owners of bars and restaurants.
What we read, the information and forecasts available now, are alarming. We cannot reopen our activities with all the restrictions currently hypothesized.
Unfortunately, these are not sustainable measures because the majority of Italian bars and restaurants are small.
These are restrictions that would lead to the collapse of businesses, because having to respect the rules on distancing, we expect a drop in turnover of 60-70-80%. And the same fixed costs that we were burdened with before the emergency would accumulate on our shoulders.
We are willing to keep businesses closed for as long as your Government deems necessary, but to do this, we need your support.
We ask you for help now, Mr President, because we need you to concretely show us your solidarity and support, with real and concrete actions at least until December 2020. As the recovery will be long and will be the real challenge.
Suspension of rents during the emergency with 100% tax credit to the landlord for the months of forced closure. Adjustment of the rent to 50% until December, based on the scaling of the business flow, amortizing the difference with zero taxation or tax credit to the lessor.
What we ALL ask is:
- Suspension of all tax obligations, contribution payments, mortgages and tax bills for the entire period of the emergency. Cancellation of taxation from the beginning of the Covid-19 emergency to the end of the current year. Blank fiscal year.
2. Contribution relief policy for micro businesses that do not fire workers.
3. Creation of a specific economic fund for the bar/restaurant sector which covers all unblocked expenses (rents, suppliers, public land) for sector activities with a turnover not exceeding 1,000,000.00 euros.
4. Iestablishment of a “flat tax” of the 15% for the next 6 years.
5. Review of rules and costs for the management of public land granted to bars/restaurants.
6. VAT reduction.
7. Zeroing of bank/pos. commissions.
8. Review of energy and utility costs.
9. Revision of the obligation of 2 meters between tables justified, according to the hypotheses we have read, by the passage of the waiter who, however, by mandatory wearing a mask, would not become a carrier of contagion.
10. We ask you not to burden the operator with sanctions in the event of failure to respect the required interpersonal distances between customers, despite specific indications posted and communicated. In the Prime Ministerial Decree before the total closure we were the few commercial activities in which the manager paid due to the customer's negligence.
11. 50% tax credit and non-repayable contributions for the supply of "sanitizer butni” to be provided to the public if this is obligatory for us.
12. Non-repayable contribution and tax credit of the 50% for the expenses incurred for the purchase of mandatory protective equipment for staff (masks, disposable gloves, etc.) and for everything that will be necessary to adapt to the new regulations (anti-breathing plexiglass, disinfection equipment etc.).
13. Guarantee of supply of the aforementioned materials at a fair price.
14. We ask you not to limit the closing of activities to 6.00 pm. Many of us open at that time due to the type of place. All this until the realignment to the turnover of the year 2019.
Mr President, we speak to you with our hearts in our hands, like small entrepreneurs.
We speak to you as Italian citizens, who respect the rules, but who don't want to fire people or close them down their activities.
We speak to you as people who need to be supported.
Confident, we await your kind reply.
Best regards
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