Meloni Plans Road-Tax Abolition for 14.5 Million Vehicles

Giorgia Meloni's cabinet on 16 September 2026 approved a decree abolishing Italy's vehicle ownership tax, known as bollo auto, for about 14.5 million vehicles. The exemption covers all motorcycles and more than 70% of small- and medium-sized cars with power up to 80 kW, plus mopeds if the owner does not already claim it for a car, and applies to only one vehicle per citizen. It runs from 1 January through 31 December 2027 and is estimated to cost €2.36 billion. Meloni said: "Today, the government is abolishing one of the taxes Italians hate the most." She added that while others talk about wealth taxes the government is removing a property tax, and that some funds previously used against high fuel costs were repurposed into a structural measure for people who use cars and motorcycles daily for work, school runs or getting around. Italy's overall tax burden is around 43%. What is contested: Left-leaning coverage presents the timing as an effort to woo voters, noting the coalition trails the centre-left ahead of next year's election and faces pressure from National Future; critics called it a politically motivated gesture. No dispute appears on the decree's terms themselves. What is unresolved: how the government will finance the cost as public debt is projected to approach 139% of GDP.