Monday, January 30, 2012

CONGRATULATIONS - HERE IS YOUR FINE



"The inhabitants of Ispica", goes a local saying, "will live to be 100".  And when they reach that great age they receive, not a telegram from their head of state, as in the UK, but a nice fat fine from their city of origin, it seems.

Signora Michela Concetta Leontini, who celebrated her hundredth birthday on 10th January, was dismayed to be handed, a few days later, a fine of over €6,000 for non-payment of a rubbish collection tax in Ispica for the years 2005 - 2010. She has not lived in the house referred to for 72 years, having left Ispica for Ragusa in 1939 and Ragusa for Rome, where she still lives, in 1950.

The house is not only uninhabited but has never had running water, electricity or gas.  Signora Leontini intends to contest the fine at Ragusa County Court.

9 comments:

Jenny Woolf said...

How totally unbelievable!

And horrible!

betsy said...

I have heard that Italian local government can be silly and arbitrary, but this seems to reach new levels of absurdity!

Sean Jeating said...

Ha ha ha ... ha ppy birthday!

Miss Footloose said...

I love stories like this, but it's not fun for the poor old woman! I once heard a story of an old woman in Florida getting a bill for $ 0.00 and so she didn't do anything.

Soon she started getting warnings and threats for non-payment and got all upset and stressed out until someone suggested she just sent them a check for $ 0.00 and that would make the computer happy. So she did and that took care of it.

Computers, bureaucracies - don't you just love them.

Alex the Blogging Kat said...

Hi Pat and Simi!

rochambeau said...

What a gift! Appalling.
Hope she'll finds a kindly lawyer who really socks it to em!!

xox
Constance

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Jenny. Yes, not nice at all. Hi, Betsy. Utterly daft! Hi, Sean. A lovely present! Hello, Miss Footloose. No fun for her at all. Liked the Florida story. Hi, Alex! Love, Pat and Simi xx woof! I'm sure she will, Constance. x

Gledwood said...

Governments seem to be pretty much the same everywhere, worst luck.

I broke my fingers and started a new blog at gledwood4.blogspot.com no ridiculous lomg pages any more so drop by!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Gleds. I've been leaving messages on here for ages to tell you that my computer won't let me into your other blog - malware warning. Is the new one going to be your main one now?

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