The Italian government has decreed that every motorist seeking the new fuel bonus must first drive 50,000 kilometers within a single calendar year, a measure officials say will ensure only the most dedicated drivers receive relief. The announcement, made at a hastily convened press conference in Rome, has already sent thousands of Italians onto the highways in a frantic bid to rack up the required mileage before the December 31 deadline.
«We cannot simply hand out money to people who merely commute to work,» said Transport Undersecretary Marco Bellini, standing before a map of Italy crisscrossed with proposed circular routes. «The bonus is a reward for commitment. If you want the state to pay for your petrol, you must first prove you are willing to burn through an entire year's salary in fuel.» The scheme, which applies to incomes up to 50,000 euros, has sparked a wave of organized endurance drives, with families taking turns at the wheel of a single Fiat Panda to circle the Po Valley overnight.
In response, the Automobile Club of Italy has begun issuing «Mileage Certificates» stamped at toll booths, while roadside mechanics report a surge in requests to disconnect odometers, a practice the government has vowed to counter by stationing inspectors at every motorway rest stop. «We have already seen three accidents caused by drivers attempting to reverse down the A1 to double-count a stretch,» Bellini added. «This is exactly the kind of dedication we hoped to inspire.»
Next week, the government will open a hotline for citizens to register their planned routes, with the most efficient circuits published in the official gazette. Critics have noted that the average Italian drives barely 12,000 kilometers a year, but the ministry remains unmoved. «The bonus is not for average Italians,» Bellini concluded. «It is for heroes.»