I chose light blue because it makes me think of the air which is essential, and for us taxes are fundamental. I’ve chosen grey because it reminds me of the colour of stones, and for me taxes are a weight like them. I’ve chosen the colour yellow because if it is sometimes difficult to pay taxes, they are needed however for people’s wellbeing I’ve chosen dark blue and green. Blue reminds me of the sky at night. It’s nice to see, but like taxes, is frightening. Green is like grass because we need taxes for the public green spaces. For me, green represents the hope that I’ve always paid my taxes and to always be in order year after year. Yellow, on the other hand, symbolises happiness and cheerfulness, like the shining sun. You make everyone happy thanks to taxes. Lastly, the grey represents sadness. For example, when you have to hand over money to pay the taxes. If you think about it, you could have used that money to buy something useful for the family. The colour I’ve chosen is green, which normally symbolises hope. In fact, we hope that everyone will pay their taxes, and we also hope they will be put to the best possible use, for something useful. For me taxes are reddish, like sandpaper, because they can sometimes be uncomfortable, (but also) like love which gives us hope. And: Yellow like the sun which gives us life and heat all the time. I’ve chosen orange because it reminds me of a beehive where all the bees are organised for a better future. I’ve chosen orange because I like the colour and we don’t pay tax. I’ve chosen this colour because brown makes me think of the roots of a tree which give it the mineral substances to live and taxes are like that because without them there would be no schools, hospitals, public services... And without these things the state wouldn’t exist. I’ve chosen green because if the poorer citizens pay too much tax, they risk being “in the green”. Just like what happens today with the farmers because of the IMU tax* (*Translator’s note. The IMU is a newly imposed property tax). The pale blue of a clear sky which recalls the freedom... To pay taxes. I’ve chosen “hope green” because every citizen hopes that the state will use the taxes to improve services, while black is the mood of the people when they have to pay their taxes. I chose yellow because it makes me think of a bright colour which inspires loyalty like taxes should. And pink inspires tranquillity because taxes shouldn’t be a worry to the country. I’ve chosen white because paying their taxes my parents can’t afford to buy me coloured pens. I’ve chosen violet because it’s a cold, sad colour which represents the mood of the people when they pay their taxes, but I’ve chosen yellow too because it’s a cheerful colour, and the money from taxes contributes to the services which help in daily life. I’ve chosen fuchsia because it’s a bright colour and even if people don’t like taxes very much, also because they’ve gone up a lot over the last few years, they are needed to make the country better off and so make it happier. The reason I chose black was to make it like the “submerged”, or unpaid, evaded taxes. The reason I chose yellow was to compare it with “justice”, or the taxes paid to benefit the public services we make use of. For me, taxes are red because it represents the workers who have to work hard to get to the end of the month and paying taxes is like taking blood, sooner or later it comes to an end. For me, taxes are blue like the sea, in fact they should be paid happily because they allow us to have services. Even if, like the tides, they rise and we hope, fall! I chose green because it is thought to be the colour of hope and taxes are hope too: a sacrifice which we hope will make the world better. I chose yellow because it reminds me of the sun, it’s strong light gives light to us human beings, to nature and animals. Even if there are a lot of taxes to pay, they are necessary for all of us. I chose black because I associate it with crude oil, which is a symbol of wealth, something with tax evaders don’t let us have. Yellow however is the colour of hope that things might change. As a colour to represent taxes, I’ve chosen yellow, because yellow is also the colour of the state school gate, which is funded by taxes. I’ve chosen yellow because it’s the colour of light and hope in a better future. I’ve chosen green because it recalls strength, happiness. Green is the colour of rebirth in springtime and in my opinion it is a sentimental colour. We all need that strength, that happiness to pay our taxes, because without them, children wouldn’t be able to go to school, there wouldn’t be any hospitals. Basically, a world without taxes wouldn’t be what it is today. I’ve chosen yellow for the taxes, because of me it means hope in a better future with taxes. I chose fluorescent because for me taxes are lovely and bad. “We need them”. Thanks to them children can go to school and have a future. For me they are the colour of the sun, indispensible for the life of all of us. I chose green and grey because green reminds me of nature and so the positive side of taxes i.e., when they are used by the state for public services: the police, hospitals, fire-fighters, roads..... But grey reminds me of cement and so the negative aspect, when they are too much and even people who are not so well off have to pay them. I’ve chosen yellow because it’s a brilliant colour and I hope taxes make the public services radiant. I’ve chosen green too because anyway it’s a symbol of hope and we have to try and get out of the crisis by means of taxes. I imagine the colour of taxes as transparent just like their management should be. I believe it is the duty of every citizen to pay taxes but at the same time every citizen has the right to transparency, i.e. to know how that money, fruit of his labour that he pays the council and the state, is used. There are many colours in the world; some are prettier than others, but for taxes I choose TRANSPARENT. I’ve chosen yellow because I think it can represent taxes. Yellow is a very bright and cheerful colour and so should our societies be thanks to taxes. We can do lots of things with taxes, including improving and enriching our towns!! I’ve chosen red as a signal of alarm for the Italian people, because in Italy there are some people who commit tax evasion, i.e., they don’t pay their taxes. I’ve chosen green to represent hope for a better Italy thanks to the taxes which almost all the Italian citizens pay, so each person will contribute to improving our State. I’ve chosen red because it’s very bright and it makes me think about life and to live happily with the public services etc. .... we have to pay taxes!!! But paying taxes isn’t nice for anyone, yet as soon as we see that children go to school, if we are sick we have hospitals without payment, clean public parks, clean streets, we feel better!!! And paying taxes isn’t just a right, it is also a duty of the citizen!!! I chose blue because it reminds me of the infinite sky, infinite like the years of splendour our wonderful Italy should be. I chose red because when it’s time to pay their taxes people go red like peppers and show all their anger. I chose silver because it represents the future for me with lots of new machines and lots of electricity. I think that taxes come in two colours and one of them is green. I think they are green because it is the colour of hope. In fact we Italians hope that the taxes we pay will be able to give us services. The other colour is grey which expresses sadness, i.e. the emotion our parents feel when they get their salaries and see the money that was taken off to contribute to the welfare state. Taxes are red because this colour shows the urgency to pay them otherwise there will be more to pay (fines). I chose red like fire because when taxes arrive no-one wants to pay them and maybe burn them. But I’ve also put green like nature, because after all, the money we pay goes to sort out the environment and to do something useful. Red because paying taxes is an obligation for the good of the community, like at the red light, everyone has to stop for the good of the drivers. I chose to associate grey with taxes because it is a colour midway between white which is a positive colour and black which is a negative colour as taxes are a necessary duty to guarantee specific rights and services. Another colour is light blue because it is the colour of the national team and represents all the Italians, because I think everyone has to pay taxes which are a duty for all and a right for each one of us. I chose light blue because it reminds me of the sky, of freedom. Every citizen, in fact, should be free to pay taxes. I chose yellow because it is the colour that reminds me of the sun, the sun that gives life. Taxes give life too, and without them we kids wouldn’t be at school. I chose green because it reminds me of trees and public gardens. Red is for the love of the people who work in hospitals, the firemen who help us thanks to taxes. Orange because the colour is nice, like taxes. I chose yellow because it is a bright colour that gives hope, because if everyone paid their taxes, society would enjoy more public services. I chose the colour green because it is the colour of money, but dark because we spend a lot of taxes and they are expensive. I chose blue because for me taxes are neither nice or bad, but are dispensable (sic) to live in a society founded on work and for me they are the colour of the sea of the water which are indispensable for life and survival. To build hospitals, schools, for the common good. I’ve chosen this colour because, in my opinion, it symbolises joy, cheerfulness and faith in something yet to come. I’ve chosen this colour for several reasons. Firstly because taxes leave you in the “green”*. The second is that when we talk about money, we call banknotes, “greenbacks”. The third is for hope, that one day taxes will be reduced. The fourth reason is that when people talk about taxes, my grandfather goes green with rage. I’ve chosen green for taxes because it reminds you of the hope to be able to buy the services which Italy needs. I chose brown in association with taxes because it reminds you of hunger in the world. I’ve chosen light blue, the colour of the sky in the hope that we can rise high above the crisis. I’ve chosen red like tomatoes. They’re not the tastiest things to eat, but they are good for us! I chose ‘hope green’ to hope that there will no longer be tax evasion and that in the future taxes will bring “returns”. I chose yellow because for me it’s a symbol of the peril facing evaders who don’t pay their taxes. I’ve chosen green because it’s the colour of hope and Italy hopes that taxes will diminish. I also chose white because it is transparent so everyone has to pay their taxes without stealing, otherwise they’ll be punished. Light blue is the colour that represents tranquillity. I think that by paying all the taxes that the State imposes, the State pays for the services (health care, education, etc....) that citizens can use and we can be confident about our lives and our needs , which are met by the State. I’ve chosen purple, because it is made up of fuchsia, a cheerful colour which represents the benefits taxes bring, and blue, a dark colour which represents the tax evaders. I chose light blue because it reminds me of the colour of the air, which, as we know, is essential for life! I chose grey because being a dull colour it symbolises the darkness of spirit of those who evade. While green symbolises the hope of improving this country. I’ve chosen light blue because it’s a cheerful colour, and taxes should be cheerful. They should also be a sacrifice to make society better. I’ve chosen yellow because it represents the sun without which we couldn’t live. Taxes are like the sun. Without them there would be none of the services they offer us. I’ve chosen yellow because for me it represents faith and hope, that we have in those who administer the taxes, because we’d like our taxes to be spent in the best way possible. I compare the colour RED with taxes because red is the colour of both happiness and pain. In fact, when we go to pay taxes, we are red because of the pain. But then when we see that they are well invested we cheer up. Taxes are good for all citizens. And that’s why we pay them.

Among the initiatives focusing on the topic of school organised by the Municipality of Riccione, at the beginning of the school year 2011-2012, I devised a project for Civics based on the book “Le belle tasse”.
In early October of 2011, I met some teachers, including Rosa Maria Agliata of the E. Filippini Secondary School in Cattolica, who worked on the project with three middle school classes, I E, II F and III F – children from 11 to 13 years of age.

 

 

What talking about taxes means

 

The teacher in the classroom began by reading and discussing the book with the students. The starting point was the questions that the children had asked during the experiments carried out in Rome and Turin, as illustrated in the book.
After several weekly meetings, which went on for about two months, the students had become aware “of what talking about taxes means” and were able to grasp the many complex aspects of taxation. In particular, the discussion focused on the justification of taxes, evasion, spending, and good and bad administration, and through this, on knowledge, so intrinsic to taxation, such as rights and duties, freedom, justice, equality, community, the legal system, the constitution, the law, government, the common good, and pluralism. It soon became clear how differing opinions were formed on the different themes.

The caterpillar, the branch and the butterfly

 

Let me be your branch.
The caterpillar is an insignificant insect that rests on the branch because it needs a solid base on which to change and transform into a butterfly; this is what my programme aims to be like.
A first year student of the
E. Filippini Secondary School, Cattolica


At a given time the idea came up to elect a Government. So students were asked to submit their candidature, and each candidate had to formulate a plan on the following points: “Taxation”, “The proper procedures and evasion”, “Spending”, “The proper administration of expenditure and corruption”, to present and to be submitted to a vote by secret ballot for the election of a five-member government, including a head. The government, thus elected, was required to present its programme to be illustrated in class.

 

One student designed an election manifesto: “Let me be your branch,” which shows a caterpillar, a branch and a butterfly. In her illustration, if citizens, like the caterpillar, rely on her, the branch – and if they vote for her, they will turn into a butterfly and will be able to fly.

 

 

The colour of taxes

 

One of the tasks that the teacher gave the students was to rephrase the title of the book “Le belle tasse”. One pupil produced “The colour of taxes,” for this reason: “Because taxes are different colours. if you don’t like them they are black, if you like them, they are green, etc.”
So it was agreed to ask the students to “give a colour to the taxes,” and give reasons for their choice.
From these arose the projects presented here.

 

 

Acknowledgements

A big thank you goes to the students of I E, II F and III E, school year 2011-2012, at the E. Filippini Secondary School in Cattolica, whose curiosity, creativity and professionalism made this experiment possible, and to Rosa Maria Agliata who authorised it with dedication and passion and then followed its progress with care and sensitivity.
All this would not have been possible without the Public Services Sector of the Municipality of Riccione, which for years, to its great credit, has been organizing the School Project as part of which I formulated the proposal for “Le belle tasse”.
I owe a special thank you, finally, to Dr Monica Bartolini of the Municipality of Riccione for her valuable and prompt cooperation.

 

 

Translator’s note

The reader will notice many references by the children to the colour green to indicate the state of pennilessness. This is due to the use in Italian of the common idiomatic expression “essere al verde” (to be in the green) meaning ‘to have no money’. This may come as a surprise to English speakers, who associate the colour green with envy. In Italian, however, this feeling is associated with the colour yellow. Returning to green, in Italy this colour commonly has positive connotations, linked to hope, nature, energy, permission to act and freedom.


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© Franco Fichera