The Ministry of Economy and Finance announces that the data on the IRES (Corporate Income Tax) and IRAP (Regional Tax on Productive Activities) declarations relating to the 2021 tax year and presented during the years 2022 and 2023. It should be considered that the tax data also take into account joint-stock companies whose tax year does not coincide with the calendar year and, consequently, for these entities, the 2021 tax period ends in 2022. This publication, also including the statistics on Ires declarations presented by subjects who use the Income - Non-commercial entities model, completes the statistical data relating to tax declarations for the 2021 tax year.
IRES
In the 2021 tax year, the declarations of joint-stock companies were 1.321.476, up compared to the previous year (+3,2%) and also to 2019 (+4,6%). A large part of joint-stock companies (91%) are made up of limited liability companies.
60% of the subjects declared a business income relevant for tax purposes, 33% declared a loss and 7% closed the financial year at breakeven. The declared tax income, equal to 216,7 billion euros, recorded a significant increase (+33% compared to 2020 and +17,7% compared to 2019).
In 2021, joint-stock companies declared a taxable income of approximately 170 billion euros (+31,3% compared to 2020 and +14% compared to 2019) of which approximately 116 billion through the Income model and approximately 54 billion through the Consolidated.
Companies that are subject to ordinary taxation declare a net tax of approximately 27,6 billion euros (+30,9% compared to 2020 and +23,4% compared to 2019), while corporate groups that have opted for the consolidated tax regime declares a net tax of approximately 12,9 billion euros (+32,1% compared to 2020 and -2% compared to 2019).
Patent Box
The declarations for 2021 show over 1.300 companies that have used the relief according to the "old" regime (introduced in 2015), for an amount of tax-free income and exempt capital gains equal to 2,7 billion euros (-12,4% compared to 2020 and -56% compared to 2019). As regards the new "Patent box" regime with a greater deduction of 110%, the subjects who have used the new concession are 626, for an amount equal to 521 million euros, and 45% are concentrated in the manufacturing section.
Aid for Economic Growth – ACE
The joint-stock companies with ACE due are over 373.000 (+13,7% compared to 2020 and +14,4% compared to 2019), for an amount of deduction due of 30,2 billion euros (+58,4% compared to to 2020 and +64% compared to 2019). The previous surplus relating to the previous year, equal to 12,4 billion euros (+15,7% compared to 2020 and +13,9% compared to 2019), concerned over 110.000 companies, while the deduction amount not used in the year and carry forward to subsequent years is equal to 16,7 billion euros (+34,3% compared to 2020 and +48,1% compared to 2019).
Analysis of the deductibility of interest expense
Interest expenses pertaining to the tax period amount to 34,1 billion euros (+13% compared to 2020 and +14,3% compared to 2019), while those relating to previous periods, and reportable as they were not previously deducted , amount to 37,9 billion euros (+1,2% compared to 2020 and -1,5% compared to 2019). The portion of deductible interest (including that of previous periods) is equal to almost 30 billion euros (42% of total interest expense).
Tax credits
The tax credit for investments in tangible capital goods (formerly super-depreciation) was declared by over 152.000 subjects for an accrued amount of 1,4 billion euros; the tax credit for investments in tangible capital goods 4.0 was declared by over 57.400 subjects for an accrued amount of 9,9 billion euros; the tax credit for investments in intangible assets 4.0 was declared by over 6.300 subjects for an accrued amount of 70 million euros and the tax credit for research and development, in ecological transition and in technological innovation (L. 160/ 2019) was declared by over 15.700 subjects for an amount of 1,3 billion euros; the tax credit for investments in new capital goods in the South shows a credit amount accrued in the 2021 tax year of approximately 1,7 billion euros.
IRAP
The number of subjects who presented the IRAP declaration for the 2021 tax year is equal to 3.333.952 (-0,6% compared to 2020 and -2,7% compared to 2019). The contraction mainly affected natural persons (-3,4% compared to 2020 and -7,7% compared to 2019) and partnerships (-2,8% compared to 2020 and -6,4% compared to to 2019).
The overall tax base was approximately 503 billion euros (+20,8% compared to 2020 and +7,5% compared to 2019).
The tax declared for the year 2021 amounted to 26,2 billion euros (+16,6% compared to 2020 and +5,8% compared to 2019).
All statistical data and analyzes are available on the website www.finanze.gov.it following the path "tax data and statistics / declarations / 2021".
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