Marco Q. Rossi & Associati (LexBlog Italy)

On October 9, 2023, the last Ministerial Decree required for the final implementation of Italy’s Register of Trusts was published, and the Register of Trusts is now in effect. The initial filing deadline is December 11, 2023. The filing in the Register is required for domestic trusts, private foundations, and similar legal arrangements, defined as...

On October 16, the Council of Ministers approved a legislative proposal that will repeal the special tax regime for new resident workers, entrepreneurs, and professionals with effect from January 1, 2024. The special regime, enacted in its final form in 2020, allows Italian and foreign nationals who establish their tax residence in Italy while not...

In its ruling n. 370 issued on July 4, 2023, the Italian Tax Agency concluded that in a case of a change of tax residency during the year, the treaty provision according to which the change of tax residence takes effect on the day of the transfer out of Italy to the foreign country is...

The Italian Tax Agency’s Ruling n. 309 of April 28, 2023 (Risposta-n.-309_2023-1.pdf) deals with the issue of taxation to Italian beneficiaries of income distributions from a U.S. trust. Background. Under Italy’s tax law, trusts with identified income beneficiaries are treated as fiscally transparent, and the beneficiaries are taxed on their share of the income of...

The Italian Tax Agency recently issued a ruling (n. 251 of March 16, 2023) that provides guidance on the Italian tax classification of Family Trusts and Testamentary Trusts and the taxation of Italian beneficiaries on the trusts’ income. Background The settlor, an Australian national, established the trusts while he was a resident of Australia. He...

With its Ruling n. 237 of March 2, 2023 (Risposta n. 237-2023), the Italian Tax Agency ruled that when the trustee of a foreign trust is required to make an annual distribution to the beneficiaries of the trust of cash or other property of the trust that represent a predetermined percentage of the fair market...

The Italian tax administration, in its Circular n. 34 of October 20, 2022, provided some new guidance on the international tax reporting obligations for assets held in foreign trusts. Domestic trusts report foreign assets held under the name of the trust on their own income tax return. In the case of foreign trusts, the reporting...

On September 1, 2022, the Italian Supreme Court issued a ruling (n. 25698) in a case concerning a distribution from a U.S. partnership treated as a taxable dividend in Italy. The dividend was taxed by way of a substituted tax, and Italian tax law did not allow a credit for the income tax paid the...

In its Ruling n.83 of February 14, 2022, the Italian Tax Agency confirmed that Italy’s substituted tax regime (so-called flat tax, or forfeit) for high net worth individuals applies in a case in which international executives or managers of multinational companies perform their functions partly in Italy and partly outside of Italy, where the group’s...

On October 20, 2022, Italy’s Tax Administration issued Circular 34/E providing final guidance on the Italian taxation of trusts. One section of the guidance discusses the new anti-abuse rule on the taxation of income distributions from foreign trusts to Italian resident beneficiaries. Article 44, paragraph 1, letter g-sexies of the Italian Income Tax Code, as...

With its Resolution n. 83 of 2-14-2022, the Italian Tax Agency ruled on interaction between the Italian special tax regime for high net worth individuals (so called “flat tax” or “lump sum tax” regime) and taxation of Italian source employment income under Italy’s general income tax. The case involved certain international employees of an Italian...

With its ruling n. 693 of October 8, 2021 (Prassi – AGENZIA DELLE ENTRATE – Risposta 08 ottobre 2021, n. 693), the Italian Tax Agency held that a discretionary beneficiary of a foreign irrevocable trust, treated as a fiscally opaque trust under Italy’s tax classification rules, is required to report his beneficial interest in the...

With tax ruling n. 18/2022 of January 12, 2022 (Risposta_18_12.01.2022), the Italian tax agency ruled that for the foreign branch tax exemption to apply, a permanent establishment must exist in the foreign jurisdiction, fully taxable in the host country under both foreign country’s domestic tax law and any applicable tax treaty between Italy and the...

In a series of recent tax rulings, Italy’s Tax Administration ruled that “remote workers” who live in and work remotely in Italy for a foreign employer with no trade or business in Italy can still qualify for the benefits of Italy’s new-resident workers special tax regime. In 2015, Italy enacted a special tax regime for...

In response to a petition we presented on behalf of the taxpayer, the Italian Revenue Agency issued an advance tax ruling in a case concerning the determination of the tax character and the source (place of production) of taxpayer’s income arising from a contract of services as president and chief executive officer and board member...

With its ruling n. 8719 of March 30, 2021(Cass. n. 8719, 30-3-2021) the Italian Supreme Court ruled that no Italian gift tax applies when the trust assets are distributed back to the settlor, upon termination of the trust following the trust beneficiaries’ disclaimer of their beneficial interests under the trust. The case involved a trust...

With its private letter ruling n. 506 of October 30, 2020 (Ruling 506_2020), the Italian Tax Agency ruled that the Italian protector of a foreign trust which holds foreign financial assets and accounts to the benefit of an Italian resident individual does not qualify as beneficial owner of the trust. As a consequence, according to...

In its Supreme Court Ruling n. 21695-2020 (issued on October 8, 2020) the Italian Supreme Court held that an individual (the “Taxpayer”) who is classified as a resident non domiciled in the U.K., is not eligible for the benefits of the income tax treaty between Italy and the U.K. of October 21, 1988, entered into...

Italy’s Supreme Court’s ruling n. 26965 of November 26, 2020 provides a clear example of how things can quickly turn for the worse, for an ill-advised taxpayer who fails to report a foreign financial account on his Italian income tax return, and then fails to properly handle the following tax inquiry and audit stemming from...

With Circular n. 33 of December 28, 2020, Italy’s Tax Agency provided administrative guidance on the special tax regime for new resident workers, professionals and entrepreneurs. The special tax regime, amended and extended in 2019, provides a 70 percent exemption from tax for income earned by individuals who establish their tax residence in Italy. Eligible...

On November 20, 2020 Italy’s Minister of Economy and Finance published its ministerial decree dated November 17, 2020, which contains specific provisions on the meaning and enforcement of the main benefit test of COUNCIL DIRECTIVE (EU) 2018/822 of 25 May 2018 on mandatory reporting of cross border arrangements (commonly referred to as “DAC6”). Following the...

With some years now on record after the enactment of Italy’s tax rules on special tax regime for high net worth individuals, we attach and article (Italy’s Special Tax Regime for High Net Worth Individuals, Three Years In) recently published on the topic. The distinctive features of the Italian special tax regime are the following:...

On December 23, 2019, the Italian Ministry of the Economy and Finance published on its web site a draft of the Ministerial Decree setting forth the provisions for the establishment and operation of the Register of Beneficial Owners of business entities, non-commercial entities and trusts. The establishment of the Register of Beneficial Owners is required...

By way of ruling n. 25490 issued on October 10, 2019 (Supreme Court Ruling 25490 of 10-10-2019), Italy’s Supreme Court upheld the appellate court’s ruling which denied both the dividend withholding tax exemption of the EU Parent Subsidiary Directive n. 435/90/CEE of the Council dated July 23, 1990 (the “Directive”), and the dividend withholding tax...

Law Decree n. 124 of October 26th, 2019 (which is immediately effective, but needs to be converted into law within 60 days to become final) includes, at article 13, new provisions on taxation of certain distributions from foreign trusts to Italian resident beneficiaries (individuals and non-business entities). By way of background, Italy does not have...

With its tax ruling n. 88/E of October 18, 2019 (Ruling 88-2019), the Italian Tax Agency denied the interest withholding tax exemption provided for in the EU Interest and Royalties Directive, in respect of interest due by an Italian Target on a shareholder’s loan extended from its EU Parent in connection with a merger leveraged...

In its Ruling N. 380 of September 11, 2019, Italy’s Tax Agency provided its guidance on certain tax implications of a corporate reorganization pursuant to which a Luxembourg holding company, which owns an Italian company, would reincorporate into Switzerland and convert into a Swiss tax resident company. Prior to the reincorporation of the holding company...

Italian tax residence is a very important topic for foreign nationals who travel regularly to Italy, own houses and spend significant time with their family there, while living and working abroad, as well as for those who relocate to Italy and work, do business or just retire there. For the former, it may be surprising...

Italy taxes various categories of financial income – namely dividends, interest and capital gains – earned by private investors outside the carrying on of a trade or business, by way of a substitute tax charged on the gross amount of the income at the flat rate of 26 percent. With effect from January 1, 2018,...

The Italian financial newspaper “Il Sole 24 Ore” reported today that Koering, the French-owned conglomerate which controls some of the most renowned and revered luxury brands in the world, such as Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent, Pomellato and others associated to clothing, jewelry, bags and other luxury products, settled a tax case with the Italian...