Fisco e scuola (taxes and school), a competition between three teams

Fisco e scuola (taxes and school), a competition between three teams: their names – Iva, Irpef and Registro (VAT, Individual income tax, and Registration tax, respectively). All competing classes completed the course 

In Italy, the Sardinia Regional Directorate of the Agenzia delle Entrate (Tax Office) organised a treasure hunt with a primary school in Cagliari as part of the project Fisco e scuola (taxes and school).

In all, 70 children around 10 years old divided into three teams took part in the game held on their school premises.

The main themes were the tax return, why it is important to pay taxes and how the codice fiscale (tax code) is composed. Two tax administration officials went to the school and firstly talked about these topics, presenting and explaining them in an age-appropriate manner. One key concept they conveyed, together with the basics of the tax system, was the ethical value of tax contribution. The reference to the Constitution was fundamental.

In the second part of the project, the children were divided into three teams (Iva, Irpef and Registro - VAT, Individual income tax, and Registration tax) to "battle it out" in a treasure hunt in the school's outdoor surroundings. Each individual challenge was based on a riddle that referred to a topic that had been covered earlier in the classroom, and the individual prizes were letters that eventually formed the word Costituzione (Constitution). All teams completed the course and found the treasure: sweets, gadgets and a plaque for the winning team (Irpef - Individual income tax).

During the award ceremony, one child said into the microphone: "I learned how we should behave as adults. It is very important to pay taxes for the health of everyone. We mustn't behave like those tax evaders who live off others.”