Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 18, 2026
3 min readLast updated: April 3, 2026
Add as preferred source on Google
Italy raised the IRAP corporate tax on energy firms by two percentage points, Meloni said in Rome on Feb. 18. The move targets producers, distributors and suppliers to help fund measures that cut energy bills.
By Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante
ROME, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Italy approved a two-percentage-point hike in its IRAP corporate tax on energy firms, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Wednesday, to help fund a package of measures aimed at cutting bills paid by families and energy-intensive businesses.
The move is expected to bring the government around 1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) in extra revenue through 2028, a decree seen by Reuters showed, which will then be used to fund the planned cuts to energy bills.
"The package will have a significant impact, guaranteeing benefits for households and businesses worth over 5 billion euros," Meloni said in a video posted on social media platform X, without providing any time frame.
Power costs in Italy are significantly higher than in France and Spain, as the country is heavily dependent on imported gas to produce electricity and is therefore vulnerable to changes in international prices and geopolitical tensions.
Under the scheme, the IRAP tax rate is expected to increase from 3.90% to 5.90% for all companies that produce, distribute, and supply energy products.
Meloni added a bonus helping poorer families to pay their bills would rise to 315 euros from 200.
EU APPROVAL NEEDED
The package also includes measures to narrow the difference between wholesale gas prices on the Amsterdam hub, and those in Italy, where more than 40% of electricity is produced with gas.
Depending on market trends, the wholesale price for natural gas traded on the Italian market, the PSV, is normally higher than the TTF, which is traded in Amsterdam, by some 2-4 euros per megawatt hour.
Rome plans to offer reimbursements to some thermoelectric producers as a way to mitigate the negative impact of the Emission Trading System on the bills, a move that requires backing from European Union authorities before being adopted.
The ETS, which is the EU's most important climate change policy, forces power plants and industries to buy CO2 permits when they pollute, and caps the amount of permits in the market, to curtail emissions over time.
Climate change think-tank ECCO said in a statement the ETS move would put Italy on a collision course with the EU to defend the interests of fossil fuel-based producers.
Rome's way to lower wholesale energy prices has drawn widespread criticism from companies that fear the measures would erode their profits and hit investments in green projects.
French nuclear group EDF could revise — or even shelve — its plan to open up the capital of its Italian subsidiary Edison due to regulatory changes, Edison's chief executive said on Wednesday.
($1 = 0.8469 euros)
(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante in Rome; Additional reporting by Francesca Landini in Milan; Editing by Gavin Jones and Daniel Wallis)
IRAP is Italy’s regional tax on productive activities. It applies to the net value of production generated by businesses and some public entities. Regions set rates within national rules, and specific sectors can face different rates under Italian tax law.
A percentage point is an absolute change in a rate. For example, raising a tax rate from 3.9% to 5.9% is an increase of two percentage points, not a 2% relative change. It directly adds to the original rate.
Explore more articles in the Finance category
