Although the payment times of our Public Administration are decreasing, it is stock of trade payables is in steadily increasing and is now close to 52 billion euros. Today theStudies office of the CGIA of Mestre (Venice), based on Eurostat data relating to 2020. The total amount – the association specifies – includes the current portion but not the capital account which, from a partial estimate, would amount to another 6-7 billion.
The reason should be traced back to the fact that many payments still have not been made, therefore, the outstanding payments increase the stock of debt accumulated in previous years. According to the data presented last week by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, for example, last year our PA has received invoices worth € 152.7 billion from suppliers, ma ne ha paid 142.7, contributing to increase the commercial debt by another 10 billion.
According to Eurostat, in recent years the trade debt of only the current part of our PA continues to grow: in 2017 it was equal to 45.2 billion, the following year it rose to 46.9, to reach 48.9 in 2019. ; last year, finally, it stood at 51.9 billion. Comparing these non-payments to national GDP, in Italy the incidence stands at 3.1%, the worst figure among all 27 EU countries.
At the European level, in the “annus horribilis” of the pandemic, current-only trade payables decreased; in Italy, on the other hand, they continued to grow, recording + 6% compared to 2019 (in absolute values +3 billion euros). To resolve this age-old issue that is putting a lot of pressure on many SMEs, there is only one thing for the CGIA to do: provide for the direct, direct and universal compensation between certain liquid and collectible credits accrued by a company by law. towards the PA and the tax and social security debts that it must pay to the Treasury.
Without liquidity available, in fact, many artisans and small entrepreneurs find themselves in serious difficulty and, paradoxically, risk having to close the business not for debts, but for too many credits not yet collected. Many public sectors continue to pay their customers late with respect to the provisions laid down by law.
According to the Mef data published last week, in 2020 the State Administrations paid on average after about 55 days from receipt of the invoice, the Local Authorities after 50 and the Autonomous Regions-Provinces and the other Authorities after just over 30. The only two sectors that complied with the law were healthcare, which, despite being able to pay within 60 days, liquidated suppliers on average after 45, and the National Public Bodies, with an average time of 28 days, two in advance of deadline foreseen by the legislation.