Four years ago Italian football became a benefactor of a strange new piece of tax legislation. The growth decree as it was known gave Italian teams the opportunity to offer far larger wages to football players than they could previously afford.
However, now the advantage is gone and it will have a huge influence on the future of Italian football. On January 1, 2024, the Italian government declined to extend the growth degree.
Let's discuss the meaning of the 'growth decree'. Tifo Football used Roberto De Zerbi's example to explain it.
Signing De Zerbi to one of Italy's clubs would be difficult: leaving aside the buyout clause in his Brighton contract, there would be a Premier League salary to match too. The growth decree was introduced to reverse the brain drain caused by talented Italians leaving the country.
A tax break helped to entice back the likes of De Zerbi, also making Italy more attractive to skilled foreigners. Anyone in the 48% bracket willing to domicile in Italy, would pay around half of that on their income instead and that is a significant advantage.
However, due to changes in politics, the law was repealed. The tax break was one of the few edges that Serie A clubs had in recruitment. Roma, for example, may not have been able to appoint Jose Mourinho in 2021 without a growth decree. The same with Lukaku and his big salaries.
Paring down the growth decree will also make it harder for Premier League clubs to sell into Italy.
Abraham, Tomori, Loftus-Cheek and Pulisic transfers to Serie A clubs won't be that easy without this law.
Maintaining the gap between Serie A and Premier League will only become more challenging after losing this edge.
The growth decree also influenced such positive things as the competitiveness of Italy clubs in the football arena, attracting brands, social media followers and tourists. However soon it all could change.
Despite all the issues the removal of this law creates, there are some advantages too. The clubs won't that encouraged to buy players from abroad, so they will be pressured to develop their young talents. Perhaps these changes will help the Italian national team find new stars
