Confedilizia says IMU tax drives rise in Italian building ruins

Confedilizia reports that the municipal property tax (IMU), introduced in 2011, has coincided with a 129% increase in "unità collabenti" – buildings classified as total ruins – reaching 635,754 in 2025, a 1.1% rise over the previous year. About 90% of these structures are owned by private individuals, many of whom let them deteriorate or deliberately remove roofs to avoid taxation, as the tax applies even to uninhabitable properties until they are formally re‑classified.

Confedilizia president Giorgio Spaziani Testa warned that the policy cannot ignore the growing social and material decay and called for comprehensive measures, including urban regeneration, infrastructure investment, and a reform of the IMU to stop penalising owners of low‑value or vacant assets. In Calabria, Confedilizia president Sandro Scoppa highlighted similar concerns, noting that Italy’s cadastral stock exceeds 79.5 million units and that excessive property taxation hampers investment, renovation and the economic security of families. He urged a reduction of the tax burden, simplification of procedures and stronger protection of private property.