With a piece of legislation of last November (D.M. 11.12.2015, Official Journal n. 291/2014), the official interest rate indicated in Article 1284 Italian Civil Code has been lowered from 0.5% (as it was in 2015) to 0.2% a year. The new rate is in force from January 2016 and applies in general whenever the parties do not agree otherwise, so for example the rate that applies to prejudgment and postjudgment interest, but also to certain due taxation. The interest rate has never been lower than today. As a curiosity, consider that that rate was 5% from 1942 to 1990 and even 10% from 1990 to 1996. (see table).