How the culture bonus of 500 euros works

A plan to stimulate knowledge and to help young people who have become adults to develop greater awareness of the world through cultural initiatives: this is the 500 euro culture bonus that the Renzi government promised to young people and their families to counteract the terrorism under the new security package approved by the Stability Law. So here's what it is about, when it comes to the entry into force of this new provision and what is the process, or should be, to follow to get it.



500 euros bonus
HOW THE CULTURE BONUS OF 500 EUROS WORKS
Following the violent terrorist attacks that rocked Europe after Paris, the Renzi government announced, within the planned security package, the intention to make available a bonus of € 500 for all the children who will become or older. The money provided can be used for cultural initiatives, for the purchase of books and various educational materials .

Terrorism is also fought with culture, with knowledge, with the ability to discern and evaluate with its own head and with its own critical conscience the events that take place, and upset, the Italian and European society. This is the goal of the government that announced anti-terrorism measures also through culture and its dissemination, especially among young people.

The bonus is part of a provision that provides for about one billion euro to be allocated to the culture , with various facilities aimed mainly at young people who will turn eighteen in the year in which the provision would come into force.



The same measure had already been foreseen for teachers and schools with a similar provision and now sets a new target for reaching the younger population. The same rule, if it came into force, also provides a substantial allocation of money, amounting to 50 million euro, to be allocated to universities and scholarships , with special facilities for deserving young people who come from less well-off families.

If the proposals of the government will be confirmed, it will also provide for the inclusion of a sum equal to about 1000 euros that the boys, students of musical high schools and the conservatory, will be able to allocate for the purchase of a musical instrument. The goal, also in this case, is to encourage the study of music among young people to encourage more attention to concerts, theatrical performances and cultural events in general.

THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TERRORISM RESPONSE
The objective is precise: to fight terrorism with culture , with a greater awareness of the world and the surrounding reality and with more tools that can help children develop their own critical conscience to analyze the world and the events that move it.

This proposal is aimed at students who will become adults in the year in which the law will come into force, with the desire to launch an incisive message to the new generations. The goal is to bring citizens closer to culture , to encourage them to discover the beauties of our artistic and cultural heritage and to participate more actively in civic life in honor of the completion of the age of majority.



The 500 euro bonus for culture is part of a larger project, which also includes one for law enforcement agencies and various loans to better monitor the suburbs of large cities. The response to terrorism, according to the Government, must not and can not be only military but must above all be cultural.

CITIZENS' EXPECTATIONS ON THE CULTURE BONUS
Many citizens are waiting impatiently for this provision to become law in all respects, focusing a great deal on the possibility of settling the differences that still remain today between some regions of Italy. Providing a bonus of the same value to all eighteen-year-olds means putting an end to different situations and disparities that still today, unfortunately, afflict different regions of the country.

This is especially true for some areas of Italy, especially in the southern regions , where it is estimated that a quarter of minor citizens live in families who can not afford to pay for their children recreational activities and extra school or sports . The bonus aims to be, therefore, a valid and highly appreciated financial aid for many families who do not have many means available to encourage their children's approach to culture.

THEORETICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING THE CULTURE BONUS
To get the culture bonus, the boys must be of age and, after they have passed the fateful goal of eighteen years, will have access to a fund of 500 euros to spend in books, museums, theaters and even concerts . The aim of the initiative is also to invest more in Italian identity, a sort of response to terrorism to counter terror and stimulate a different attitude towards culture on the part of citizens.



For the initiative will be allocated two billion euros and, for any citizen who is eighteen years, this bonus will be in the form of a purchase card that should work as a sort of prepaid card already loaded with the amount due to each citizen . All this information, of course, remain valid only in theory, and will remain so until the Government will not officially endorse this culture bonus.

The Government has said that, moreover, Italy is full of wonders to admire, starting from our artistic and cultural heritage to museums, to the myriad of cultural events organized in all our cities of Italy. Going to the cinema, to the theater or buying a ticket for a concert, however, costs, sometimes even several euros and that is why, perhaps, that young students participate little in initiatives like this.

Here then is that the government aims to fill this gap by allocating money dedicated to the new eighteen. No more excuses, therefore, because all the boys, as soon as the provision is effective, will be able to spend this money in the following ways:

Buy a book or magazine, even in digital format
Purchase hardware and software
Buy digital content
Buy a ticket to go to the theater or to visit Italian museums
Buy a ticket for the cinema
Participate in concerts and cultural initiatives
Purchase registration for courses and updating activities carried out by institutions that are accredited at the MIUR
HOW THE 500 EURO BONUS WOULD WORK
The formalization of the bonus, which is not yet in force, is currently awaiting legislation but, as occurred for the teacher bonus, it is already certain that the bonus will remain bound to specific conditions of expenditure and the state will reserve the right to verify and report all expenses incurred.

The citizens who use it, therefore, will have the obligation to keep receipts and receipts , as well as the purchased cinema or theater tickets. It is still unclear how the expenditure for the purchase of ebooks, digital magazines or access to databases should be regulated. The benefits provided by bonuses will not only cover actual purchases but will also extend to scholarships.



If the proposal becomes law, it will remain to clarify the way in which the children can use the money allocated to them by card . The most plausible explanation is that all merchants will be provided with a card payment and management system which, once the payment has been made, will keep the remaining money in memory.

Another point to clarify: how to know how much money is left on the card? The most logical explanation, even in this case, is the balance that will appear on the receipt after a purchase, while it is considered less probable that every citizen can take advantage of a platform that, through a digital system, gives the possibility to everyone view your profile.

UPDATES ON THE 500 EURO BONUS
The culture bonus for eighteen year olds is not yet valid; or rather, it has not yet entered into force but has only been announced by the Government. For this reason, not only the characteristics that would become normative could change , but the culture bonus itself could be questioned, as it is a simple proposal by the Government that it could also no longer find the conditions to be put in place.

According to the Government, the will is to allocate the bonus to Italian children who make eighteen years each year. So, if the proposal becomes law soon, for the year 2016 would be guaranteed the bonus for citizens born in 1998, while if the proposal became official for the year 2017, the bonus would instead be allocated to citizens who become adults born in the 1999.

Although there is still nothing confirmed, and concrete, what instead seemed immediately clear are the r estritions to which the bonus culture would be subject . If on the one hand, it is true that by announcing this idea the government has proved to be on the side of young people, it is equally true that there are many stakes that exclude a large part of citizens from the initiative.

The bonus will be able to access Italian and foreign students, but will be excluded non-EU citizens , even if they grew up in Italy, despite demonstrating that they have attended the full course of study in our country, a substantial part of young people who, most likely, may want to access to Italian citizenship.

Second generation citizens, who were born and raised in Italy and who represent a large part of the population that, according to 2016, will reach the age of majority this year will also be excluded from the provision.