Government wants refunds repaid

The Italian government is hoping to claw back almost EUR1 billion in refunds it has been forced to hand out to operators. The state has launched an appeal against a legal ruling last year which ordered it to repay fees levied on telecoms operators in 1999. It has since refunded EUR641 million to Telecom Italia, over EUR240 million to Vodafone and EUR50 million to Wind, reports local business newspaper Finanza & Mercati. The appeal is expected to be heard by the end of June, with the telcos facing the prospect of having to repay the refunds if the state’s case succeeds.