Italian stadiums bill to propose tax cuts, swift approvals

Italian political party Forza Italia has proposed a series of potentially significant legislative changes designed to accelerate sluggish stadium developments in the country and encourage investment from the private sector.

A bill that will be submitted to the Italian Senate in the coming days would extend the benefits currently on offer to investors and stakeholders in Special Economic Zones to the construction or redevelopment of stadiums.

This would include an expedited permit approvals process of up to 45 days as part of a series of simplified procedures, according to the bill’s primary signatory, Senator Mario Occhiuto, who is also an architect.

The proposals also include the possibility of appointing a dedicated commissioner to oversee the process, and tax breaks of 30% for private investments that could be increased to 40% if certain sustainability thresholds are met.

Italian Sports Minister Andrea Abodi accompanied Occhiuto at a press conference to announce the proposals, along with Forza Italia’s Senate Leader Maurizio Gasparri and Senator Claudio Lotito, who is also the owner and president of Serie A football club SS Lazio. Several other representatives of the political, sporting and business worlds were in attendance, including Giovanni Polazzi, co-founder of Italian architects Archea Associati.

“A significant number of football facilities are in a state of disrepair, with crumbling structures, inadequate turf and insufficient provisions,” said Occhiuto.

“The network of Italian stadiums is obsolete, with an average age of 61 years among Serie A facilities and 63 years for Serie B venues, while 93% of Italian stadiums are publicly owned.”

Occhiuto added that Italian stadiums are “currently inadequate” as venues for future events, including the UEFA Euro 2032 tournament, which will be co-hosted with Turkey.

However, he said the changes would pave the way for integrated masterplans that would accelerate the “regeneration of entire neighbourhoods”.

Sport e Salute, the state-backed entity that oversees the development of sport in Italy, would play a central role in monitoring the management of facilities, Occhiuto said.

Lazio chief Lotito backed the proposed changes and added: “We often get lost in bureaucracy.”

The Senate is the upper house of the Italian government, but it remains to be seen whether Occhiuto’s bill will receive the required support to become law. Forza Italia currently has 10% of the seats in the Senate and 48 seats of the lower-house Chamber.

Overbearing bureaucracy, particularly at a regional level, has long been blamed for stifling stadium developments in Italy.

Aside from notable exceptions such as Allianz Stadium, which opened as the new home of Juventus in 2011, and Udinese’s Bluenergy Stadium, which underwent an extensive revamp in the mid-2010s, there have been precious few major football stadium projects in the country since the build-up to the 1990 FIFA World Cup.