“Red tape is strangling tourism with its unprecedented demands,” says Franco Gattinoni, president of the Organized Tourism Federation Fto.
Our employees have not been paid since 1 January
"Government support for social security cushions for organised tourism is still a pipe dream. What happens is that first measures are announced, and then the procedural process silently blocks their application. The FIS applications are complex, burdensome and uncertain in terms of timing, and the INPS still has to approve them, so our employees have not been paid since 1 January. It’s scandalous, to say the least”.
The standard procedures are a veritable quicksand
"In 2022 we found ourselves with a new system of social security cushions - continues Gattinoni – and we tried to simplify the process in Q1. But the streamlining has not worked, and what's more, with the eight weeks of wage supplementation starting on 1 April, we will find ourselves back with the standard procedures which are a veritable quicksand".
The emergency does not wait for red tape
"The procedure is too long and complex, especially for companies with fewer than five employees who have never used these tools before. It’s unthinkable that micro-enterprises have to follow the same procedures as medium-sized and large companies and are obliged to present technical, economic and financial reports. The cost of these applications practically wipes out any benefits. It’s just not worth it, so many businesses are not bothering to submit them. The emergency does not wait for red tape - concludes Gattinoni - and after two years of the pandemic the government must step in if it is to prevent what remains of our sector getting buried under a pile of useless paperwork”.
