The Firm’s Newsstand · Today’s tax headlines

The Firm’s Newsstand

A short daily digest of Italian business-tax news, written in our own words: direct taxes and VAT, filings and deadlines, tax audits and company accounts. One title, two lines, and a link to the source.

Updated 1 August 2026.

Today’s digest

– 6 November 2026

Commercial fishing in the Po Delta: accounting and taxation of the fishing vessel Sea fishing produces business income and remains under ordinary VAT, outside Article 34. Purchases, sales, maintenance and fuel for a coastal fishing vessel are non-taxable; from 2026 the capital gain on its sale is taxed in full in the year.– Studio Observatory

Tax assessment held at the post office and collected late: the time limit for appeal still runs from ten days after the CAD According to the Court of Cassation (No. 27642/2026), collecting an item held at the post office proves receipt of the CAD and cures defects in the return receipt: the time limit to challenge the assessment runs from ten days after the CAD was sent, not from collection.– Studio Observatory

– 4 November 2026

IMU 2026 in Ferrara: rates confirmed, second homes and let property ahead of the balance payment In Ferrara, IMU 2026 remains at the 2025 rates: 1.02% for let property, 1.06% for dwellings vacant for a year, 0.6% for A/1, A/8 and A/9 main residences. An ordinary canone concordato let is taxed at 1.02%, with the tax reduced to 75%; the balance is due on 16 December.– Studio Observatory

– 2 November 2026

Short-term lets at the Lidi di Comacchio: cedolare secca, CIN and when letting becomes a business At the Lidi di Comacchio, a second home let short-term bears the cedolare at 21% on one unit and 26% on the other; from the third flat a business is presumed. Police and SUAP notifications, the CIN, tourist tax and IMU at 1.14% also apply.– Studio Observatory

Costs of guarantees for VAT refunds: statutory interest is owed, but from the date the claim becomes due and payable The Court of Cassation (judgments 27979 and 27980/2026) confirms that statutory interest under Article 1282 of the Civil Code is due on guarantee costs for VAT refunds, but only from acknowledgment of the tax credit or expiry of the assessment period, not from premium payment.– Studio Observatory

– 28 October 2026

Letting to University of Ferrara students: tenancy agreement, 10% flat-rate tax, registration and IMU A Ferrara student tenancy agreement that complies with the local rent agreement of 18 October 2023 gives a 10% flat-rate tax, no registration tax or stamp duty, and IMU reduced to 75% of the reduced municipal rate. Non-assisted contracts require a certificate of compliance.– Studio Observatory

Tax appeal to the Court of Cassation served more than one year after the judgment: only service on the party in person is valid The Italian Court of Cassation (judgment No. 26872/2026) confirms that, one year after the tax court judgment plus the August suspension, the appeal must be served on the party in person: renewed service on counsel is void and the appeal is inadmissible.– Studio Observatory

– 26 October 2026

Beach establishments at the Lidi di Comacchio: state concession fee, IMU and the season’s accounts For beach establishments at the Lidi di Comacchio: IMU borne by the concession holder, the fee on an accrual basis under ordinary accounting, the 5 per cent regional tax deducted on payment, financial amortisation of works passing to the State and year-end entries.– Studio Observatory

Evidence from criminal letters of request and bank investigations of professionals: Court of Cassation judgment No. 27439/2026 The Court of Cassation admits in tax assessments evidence obtained from Switzerland in criminal proceedings, unless constitutional rights were infringed, and excludes the withdrawals presumption for self-employed professionals. Case remitted to the Second-instance Tax Court of Lombardy.– Studio Observatory

Reverse merger after an acquisition: the Italian Revenue Agency allows the acquisition vehicle’s losses to be carried forward in three cases In rulings No. 160, 162 and 172 of 2026 the Agency allowed, in the cases examined, the carry-forward of the losses and interest expense of a vehicle merged into the target: what counts is the vehicle’s role in the acquisition.– Studio Observatory

Italy’s consolidated Act on tax compliance and assessment: new article numbers from 2027 for rules that are largely unchanged Legislative Decree 141/2026 brings the rules on returns, audits and assessment into a consolidated Act applying from 1 January 2027: provisions move and are renumbered, while their substance largely remains as it is today.– Studio Observatory

Tax debts and over-indebtedness procedures in Italy: what Circular 9/E tells tax offices Circular No. 9/E of 21 October 2026 tells tax offices how to deal with unpaid taxes in over-indebtedness procedures: the fact that most of the debt is owed to the tax authorities does not, on its own, prove gross negligence.– Studio Observatory

– 23 October 2026

Canone concordato in Ferrara: local rent agreement, cedolare secca and reduced IMU In Ferrara, agreed-rent leases signed from 19 October 2023 follow the new local agreement. The 10% flat-rate tax, IMU at 0.5% reduced to 75% and registration tax on 70% require a compliant rent and, for leases without assistance, a certificate from a signatory organisation.– Studio Observatory

– 21 October 2026

Farm businesses in the Po Delta: IAP status, agricultural companies and IMU on land In the municipalities of the Po Delta, agricultural land is exempt from IMU only if owned and farmed by a coltivatore diretto, an IAP enrolled in the agricultural social security scheme or an IAP company. Leasing land to a son and co-ownership affect the calculation.– Studio Observatory

Objectively non-existent transactions: a party-appointed expert report must be weighed, and for IRAP the time limits are not doubled Cassation ruling No. 26866/2026 set aside a judgment upholding notices for objectively non-existent transactions: it had rejected the expert report without genuine reasoning and ignored statements by hauliers and the suppliers’ other customers gathered in the audit. For 2007 the doubling stands, except for IRAP.– Studio Observatory

– 19 October 2026

Criminal acquittal after a final tax judgment: can a final assessment notice be reopened? According to the Corte di cassazione (No. 26021/2026), a criminal acquittal that came after the final tax judgment did not overturn the assessment notice: Article 21-bis does not apply where the judgment became final before it entered into force, the grounds for revocazione are not met and the insolvency practitioner’s inaction is irrelevant, because the bankrupt could have brought a challenge.– Studio Observatory

Flat-rate scheme taxpayers close to the €85,000 and €100,000 thresholds: what happens at the end of 2026 A flat-rate taxpayer who collects between €85,000 and €100,000 in 2026 leaves the scheme from 2027; above €100,000 the taxpayer leaves immediately, with VAT from the transaction that takes revenues over the limit. What counts is the date of collection, not the date of the invoice.– Studio Observatory

– 17 October 2026

Instalment plans for payment notices: 84 instalments for applications filed by 31 December, 96 in 2027 Payment notices of up to €120,000 qualify for up to 84 instalments on simple request for applications filed by 31 December 2026 and 96 for 2027 applications. Waiting lowers each instalment but means exposure to detention orders, charges on real property and attachments.– Studio Observatory

Assessment notice signed under delegated authority: how late can the Revenue Agency prove the delegation in court? Court of Cassation No. 26868/2026: in proceedings begun on or before 4 January 2024, a disputed signing delegation may be filed on appeal up to twenty clear days before the hearing. Filed at the appeal hearing, it is late and the assessment notice is void.– Studio Observatory

– 16 October 2026

Tax debts of the deceased: a person who renounces an inheritance is not liable for them, provided the renunciation is valid A person entitled to inherit who renounces an inheritance in the form required by law is not liable for the taxes of the deceased, and the tax authorities must prove acceptance. Possession of estate assets, acts performed as heir and the position of descendants who take that person’s place must still be assessed.– Studio Observatory

Non-business property and uncollected residential rents: losses and write-downs not deductible Italy’s Supreme Court has held that a company may not deduct losses and write-downs on unpaid residential rents from non-business property (immobili-patrimonio): Article 90 of the TUIR refers to Article 26, which before Decree-Law No. 34/2019 taxed those rents until the convalida di sfratto was concluded.– Studio Observatory

– 15 October 2026

Inactive VAT numbers in Italy: how ex officio closure works under the Revenue Agency’s measure of 12 October 2026 The Italian Revenue Agency has updated the criteria it uses to identify VAT numbers that show no activity for three years: electronic invoices, electronically transmitted daily takings and tax payments now also count.– Studio Observatory

– 8 October 2026

Italian fringe benefits in 2026: the €1,000 and €2,000 thresholds and the checks to make before year-end In 2026, goods and services provided to employees, reimbursements of household utility bills and of rent and mortgage interest on the employee’s main home are again tax-free up to €1,000, or €2,000 for employees with dependent children.– Studio Observatory

– 7 October 2026

Overdue tax debts above €50,000: when the F24 offset ban applies and how to lift it From 1 January 2026, an overdue tax debt of more than €50,000 enrolled for collection that is neither suspended nor being paid in instalments is enough to bar the taxpayer from offsetting almost all credits in the F24 payment form, including tax credits granted as incentives.– Studio Observatory

– 6 October 2026

2023 revenue out of line with e-invoices and daily takings: the Italian Revenue Agency’s letters and how to respond The Italian Revenue Agency is comparing 2023 electronic invoices and electronically transmitted daily takings with the revenue reported in the 2024 income tax returns.– Studio Observatory

– 5 October 2026

St Francis’s Day fell on a Sunday: who is entitled to the extra amount in the October payslip Since 2026, 4 October has been a public holiday in Italy, and this year it fell on a Sunday.– Studio Observatory

– 4 October 2026

Occasional self-employment in Italy: the €5,000 threshold is not a tax exemption Individuals who work occasionally without an Italian VAT number pay personal income tax (IRPEF) from the first euro: the €5,000 threshold concerns only INPS social security contributions.– Studio Observatory

– 3 October 2026

E-invoices and unpaid payment notices: how Italy’s collection agency identifies receivables to attach in the hands of customers From 2026 the Italian Revenue Agency can report to Agenzia delle entrate-Riscossione, the collection agency, how much businesses and professionals with debts entered on the collection roll have invoiced to each customer holding a VAT number.– Studio Observatory

– 2 October 2026

Form 770/2026: file by Monday 2 November, and what you risk if you miss it The Italian withholding agents’ return for 2025 must be filed by 2 November 2026, because 31 October falls on a Saturday.– Studio Observatory

– 1 October 2026

Ongoing leases in Italy: subsequent years, extension, assignment and termination within 30 days Registering a lease does not settle matters with the Agenzia delle entrate, the Italian Revenue Agency. Throughout the lease, each subsequent year, any extension, assignment or early termination has a 30-day deadline, a tax of its own and, in the event of delay, a penalty.– Studio Observatory

– 23 September 2026

Business travel: no traceable payment, no deduction Meals, accommodation, taxi and NCC paid in cash in Italy: the cost is not deductible and the reimbursement is taxable. Foreign expenses are out; entertainment is not.– Studio Observatory

Errors in a 730 return already filed: how to correct them, and by when In the taxpayer’s favour: supplementary 730 by 26 October 2026. Against: the Redditi return, corrective by 2 November or supplementary until 31 December 2031.– Studio Observatory

Retention of title (riserva di proprietà): taxed on delivery or on final payment? Ownership passes with the last instalment, but VAT and revenue accrue on delivery: rules, entries and depreciation under retention of title, with an example.– Studio Observatory

Partnerships (società di persone): mandatory joinder (litisconsorzio) also applies to VAT Without every partner joined, the judgment is void: the Corte di cassazione remits the 2005 notices to first instance and confirms the requirement even where the notice assesses VAT.– Studio Observatory

– 21 September 2026

Italian flat-rate taxpayers: the tax authorities once again have five years, as the reduction in the assessment period is abolished Article 21 of Legislative Decree 148/2026 abolishes, from the 2026 tax period, the one-year shortening of the assessment deadline for taxpayers in the regime forfettario, Italy’s flat-rate scheme, who invoice only electronically: for 2026 income, an assessment notice may be served until 31 December 2032.– Studio Observatory

– 20 September 2026

Italy’s €2 charge on non-EU parcels: third postponement, now to 1 December 2026 Article 4 of Decree-Law no. 162 of 17 September 2026 moves to 1 December 2026 the €2 charge on consignments from non-EU countries with a declared value not exceeding €150. It is the third postponement, and the position of sums already paid remains open.– Studio Observatory

– 19 September 2026

Italian sickness benefit: the day before the certificate counts, even without a home visit Circular no. 92 of 4 September 2026 from INPS, Italy’s social security institute, changes position: the day before the certificate is covered even when the worker was seen at the doctor’s surgery. The one-day limit and the exclusion of Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays remain.– Studio Observatory

– 18 September 2026

DURF: what actually goes into the 10 per cent calculation With reply no. 174 of 16 September 2026, the Agenzia delle entrate, Italy’s revenue agency, accepts that withholding tax on bank interest received and, within the credit limit, taxes paid abroad count towards the ten per cent threshold for the DURF tax-compliance certificate.– Studio Observatory

– 17 September 2026

INPS contributions: from 16 September, late payment costs 8.15 per cent a year and an instalment arrangement 4.65 Circular no. 98 of 11 September 2026 from INPS, Italy’s social security institute, sets the civil penalty at 8.15 per cent a year and deferral interest at 4.65 from 16 September, after the main refinancing rate rose to 2.65. Instalment plans already notified remain unchanged.– Studio Observatory

– 16 September 2026

Company cars in mixed business and private use: the flat-rate regime returns for used cars too, and two increases are introduced Article 2 of Legislative Decree 148/2026 rewrites Article 51(4)(a) of the TUIR, Italy’s tax code: new-registration and contract-date conditions go; 50 per cent applies to vehicles granted after 31 December of the fifth year following first registration, 5 per cent to accessories outside ACI tables.– Studio Observatory

– 29 July 2026

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