Salis’s success against the Genoese shipowners. A test of popularity

Salis 1, powerful interests 0. The Liguria Regional Administrative Court has ruled in favour of the Mayor of Genoa, Silvia Salis, regarding the controversial tax on cruise passengers, which requires those choosing to embark from the Port of the Lanterna to pay three euros to the local council. The administrative court had been called upon to rule on an appeal lodged by the shipowners – namely Assarmatori, Assagenti, Grandi Navi Veloci, Moby and Stazioni Marittime – with the backing of the Port Authority. In other words, Genoa’s powers that be. However, according to the Regional Administrative Court, ‘the sum of three euros per passenger embarking is equivalent, at most, to the cost of an aperitif’. And the tax fully meets the need ‘to partially compensate for the disruption caused to the city by tourist traffic at the port, which brings with it negative repercussions on road traffic, transport and urban hygiene’.

At this stage, having taken note of the regional judges’ ruling, the shipowners may decide to up the ante and appeal the Regional Administrative Court’s judgement to the Council of State, but this is a delicate decision that will be taken at a later date. The tax on cruise passengers is a key issue on which Salis has staked his entire political capital; indeed, he had, in turn, lodged a complaint with the Court of Auditors and the Public Prosecutor’s Office to find out why the previous centre-right council (under Mayor Bucci) had not applied the tax, despite having agreed it with the state. Bucci’s decision is said to have cost the council a shortfall in revenue of 17 million. That is no small sum.

The tax applies to those boarding a cruise ship or a ferry operating a commercial service; it does not, however, apply to those arriving in Genoa or those merely passing through. The expected annual revenue is 5.7 million, which is intended to offset the costs generated by the impact of tourists and to provide some breathing space for routine expenditure on maintenance and transport. In short, it is a lifeline for the Salis council, just as it would be for any other municipal administration in a major city (the mayor of Venice, Venturini, wants to raise the entry fee to 30 euros). The companies most affected are those that account for the bulk of cruise traffic, namely Aponte’s MSC and Costa Cruises. The Regional Administrative Court’s ruling, as was to be expected, has sparked a political skirmish in which the PD has accused former mayor Bucci of making self-defeating decisions and of endorsing the Port Authority’s decision to take legal action against the municipality. The controversy is set to continue, as the centre-right is now challenging Salis over the methods for collecting the tax, which have yet to be implemented. ‘We’ll see how much he manages to collect,’ they whisper.

The victory over the Genoese shipowners heartens and encourages Silvia Salis, who is still awaiting the much-heralded publication of her book (entitled “E’ già domani”, with a cover that is not exactly understated) and the planned tour “to all Feltrinelli bookshops across Italy”. The first event is already scheduled on home turf, in Genoa, for 14 October, and observers note that this will serve as a trial run to gauge her popularity and appeal to the general public – not just those in Genoa. Meanwhile, another high-profile figure is expected in the city today: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is due to open the Boat Show and will have to take great care to avoid touching on the sore point (for her political camp) of the Regional Administrative Court’s ruling. Since her election in May 2025, this is not the first time that Mayor Salis has come into more or less explicit conflict with the city’s powers that be. Right from the outset, she challenged the management of the port system and the major infrastructure inherited from previous administrations; subsequently, she filed the 17-million-euro complaint with the Court of Auditors that we mentioned earlier. The third instance arose from the decision to introduce a minimum wage in municipal contracts, a move harshly criticised by trade associations accustomed to borderline practices. Not content with all this, the mayor has taken a public stand against the transit through the port of Genoa of arms shipments bound for war zones (primarily the Middle East and Israel), coming into conflict with the major international logistics companies. To round off this overview, many in Genoa argue that Salis’s decision to focus on large-scale open-air events aimed at a young audience has not gone down well at all with the city’s more traditionalist middle classes.