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According to recent statistics, Italy has one of the highest income tax rates in Europe, with the top bracket taxed at 43%. However, for those who are deterred by the high tax rates, there is an option to consider. Italy has implemented a 7% tax regime for select towns in Southern Italy, specifically municipalities with populations under 20,000 in regions such as Sicily, Calabria, Sardinia, Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise, and Puglia.
In particular, Carovigno, in Puglia, has been highlighted by Mary and Tom Hanson for its affordability and welcoming community, in Episode 126 of Retire There with Gil & Gene.
Check out Mary Hanson’s Facebook page.
Mary’s hairless dog is on Facebook as #TravelsWithANakedDog.
Mary engaged 2 Italian real estate agents, Donna Mignon and Alex Norton; and Nick Metta, an attorney.
Information about 7% towns in Puglia can be found in Samantha Wilson’s book, Discovering Puglia’s Best 7% Towns.
Mary Hanson was born in Phoenix Arizona, graduated from the University of Minnesota in Agricultural business administration and she says like most boomers, ended up changing careers about once every 10 years. The longest position she held was the last 20 years of her working life at the United States Post office which BTW was the best job she had.
For his 50th birthday 25 years ago Mary gave him a gift of a trip to Rome. That was their first trip overseas. They arrived in Rome and immediately fell passionately in love with it. For the following 9 years they spent at least 1 month in Rome every 12 to 18 months.
Her interests include cooking, photography, writing - she wrote a book called Travels with a Naked Dog.
Her husband, Tom, was the reason they first came to Italy and why we fell in love with it. He has a graduate degree in Classics, Latin and Greece. From 2008 to 2020 he volunteered with project Gutenberg translating and proofing latin text.
On retirement, the couple first moved to Thailand, but after 10 years they started the Schengen shuffle 90 days in and 90 out. And in 2019 (75 days before the Covid lockdown) they moved due to the 7% tax rule.
