News broke out that Italian tax auditors have issued a proposed tax assessment for Euro 1.4 billion ($1.6 billion) as additional corporate income tax due from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (“FCA”), in connection with the merger between FCA and FIAT S.p.A. (“FIAT) carried out in 2014, after FIAT had completed its acquisition of US automaker
2019
Italian Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Denying Dividend Withholding Tax Exemption, Treaty Rate Reduction
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…
Italy Enacts New Provision On Taxation Of Distributions From Foreign Trusts
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…
No Gift Tax On Transfer Of Property To Trusts, Italian Supreme Court Rules, Creating New Challenges and Planning Opportunities
By way of thirteen decisions issued in June and July (numbers 15451, 15453, 15455, 15456 of June 7, 2019, numbers 16699, 16700, 16701, 16702, 16703, 16704, 16705 of June 21, 2019, no. 19167 of July 17, 2019 and no. 19319 of July 18, 2019), the Italian Supreme Court ruled that the Italian gift tax does…
Italian Tax Agency Rules on Merger Leveraged BuyOut, Denies Interest Withholding Exemption Under Beneficial Ownership Clause
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…
Holding Company’s Tax-Free Reorganization Does to Jeopardize Dividend Withholding Exemption, Italy’s Tax Agency Rules
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…
Italian Tax Agency Rules on Tax Effects of Early Termination of Trust, Treats It As Gift Back to Settlor Subject to Gift Tax
In its Private Letter Ruling n. 355 of August 30, 2019 the Italian Tax Agency considered the tax implications, for Italian gift tax purposes, of a transaction involving the early termination of an irrevocable trust by way of mutual consent of the trustee, settlor and beneficiaries of the trust, with a return of the trust’s…
Italian Tax Residence For Individuals: A Refresher And Look At Open Issues And New Matters
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…
Italian Substituted Tax On Financial Income At Odds With Tax Treaties
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 Tax Agency Clarifies The Meaning of Beneficial Owner For Purposes of International Tax Reporting of Foreign Assets Held in Trust
With its resolution n. 53/E issued on May 29, 2019 the Italian tax agency issued some important clarifications on the exact scope of the Italian international tax reporting rules in case of foreign assets held through trusts, foundations or similar entities.
In particular, the ruling focuses upon the interpretation of the term “beneficial owner”, which…