The outcome of the dispute, concerning the gambling taxes, the Italian Government imposes, has finally been announced. The Judges at the European Union Court of Justice have decided that the most sensible solution to the complicated situation is ruling against the government.
The standpoint of the judges is that the Italian gambling rules and regulations are not compatible to the standards of the European Union. Actually the Italian laws violate Article 52 and 56 of the Union’s Treaty on the Functioning. In addition, the authorities found the limitations and the attempts for reducing the gambling addiction issues incoherent and fruitless.
The authorities of the European Union Court of Justice (CJEU) commented that even if the Italian gambling regulators are in charge of the taxation affairs, they should take the responsibility of keeping the members of the European Union informed about the changes they are about to implement and make sure that these changes are compatible with the Union’s requirements.
The European Union Court, which is, by the way, located in Luxembourg, was also given the tough task of solving the argument between two Italian poker players and the local tax board authorities. Pier Paolo Fabretti and Cristiano Blanco are both prominent poker players whose disagreement with the Italian authorities was finally solved.
They were asked to pay huge taxes on the amounts of money they have won from different tournaments and poker events. However, these tournaments took place abroad and therefore, the players were not supposed to pay any taxes.
Blanco and Fabretti were accused of failing to declare their income, which is a violation of the Italian laws and as a result, they were supposed to pay a huge amount of money as a financial penalty despite the fact that the tournaments they won were held outside Italy.
The two players were convinced that they have to take measures against the authorities and they got the European Union Court involved in that complicated matter. Fabretti and Blanco disagreed with all the accusations and according to them, the Italian tax board members didn’t act in accordance to the laws, given the fact that a tax was deducted from players’ winnings on the territory of the countries where the events were held.
During the Court hearing, the Judges found for the players’ favor and considered the Article 56 to be incompatible to the Union’s standards.
Once the trial was over, Blanco commented that he was very happy with the Court’s decision, which put an end to the unpleasant situation both players were in. He expressed his gratitude towards the defenders and all those who have been supporting him. He also added that the trial reminded him of his overwhelming victory in 2007 when he won the European Poker Tour. He shared that since then, he hasn’t felt so excited.
