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Alessandro Dragonetti, Managing Partner and Head of Tax of Bernoni Grant Thornton on January 19, 2017 took part in "Report - Il TG della Finanza" (Report – Financial News), broadcasted live every evening on Class CNBC. The topics discussed during the live news, presented by anchorwoman Jole Saggese were many: from ECB monetary policy decisions and Brexit to the economic plan of the new US president, Donald Trump, without forgetting Luxottica-Essilor merger as well as some reflections on succession planning of family businesses.

The norms implementing the professional company in Italy paved the way to new possibilities of doing business for professionals. Some points have already been clarified – from the assigning and performance of a professional engagement, to the participation in a professional company, to the registration in the professional roll – whereas other are still pending.

Art. 4 of Law Decree n. 193/2016, turned into Law n. 225/2016 provides for instructions on tax recovery, which imply new obligations for taxpayers, particularly concerning VAT.

Bernoni Grant Thornton and its subsidiary, Grant Thornton Financial Advisory Services, announce the appointment of six new partners, as of January 1, 2017: Enrico Cimpanelli, Alessandro Leone, Sante Maiolica, Stefano Marchetti, and Renato Sesana for the Advisory services, and Christian Siccardi for the Tax services. In addition to the appointments above, Simonetta La Grutta, head of VAT, was promoted to senior partner, also with effect from January 1, 2017.

The Italian Budget Law for 2017 provides for the introduction, in the national law, of the “VAT Group” scheme as set forth by art. 11 of EU Directive 2006/112. The following VAT taxable persons are entitled to set up a VAT Group: VAT taxable persons established in Italy and VAT taxable persons running a business activity or performing an art or profession provided that they are closely bound to one another by financial, economic and organizational links.

Voluntary disclosure bis: the new procedure for the repatriation of capital held abroad is more complex and the risk that the application will be rejected by the Tax Authorities and that penalties will apply is higher. According to Alessandro Dragonetti, many individuals who did not benefit from the first phase of the voluntary disclosure programme are now “very interested further to the Panama papers scandal”. As to the complexities of the new regulation, “the main issue is the self-assessment procedure to follow in order to obtain the application of the reduced penalty regime”.

The second edition of the book on associated professional firms “Professionisti & Studi, associarsi per competere”, written by Giuseppe Bernoni, founder and Managing Partner of Bernoni Grant Thornton is now available in bookshops and online. The book analyses the changes professional firms need to introduce in order to adapt to the ever-changing scenario and better address new companies’ needs, from the transition from single professional firms to associated firms, to the provision of innovative services.

The upcoming New Year compels us to look ahead to 2017, with the usual keenness to discover novelties that will impact our profession and plan suitable actions to seize future opportunities. This is therefore the right moment to have a look at the new norms introduced by the Budget Law recently approved by the Italian Parliament.

The way we live, work and learn is changing – and higher education institutions are no exception. This means daunting challenges lie ahead for any established, traditional HEIs that are resistant to change. Yet new ways to connect with students and employers around the globe will also present opportunities. As businesses become ever more global they increasingly demand employees with international experience. They want staff who can help them adapt and grow in new markets.

A few days after the Trasporti Romagna deal, Grant Thornton Financial Advisory Services is happy to announce a new deal closing: WRÅD LIVING. This is the sixth transaction successfully completed by the M&A team of Grant Thornton Financial Advisory Services since the beginning of the year. The deal was carried out through a venture investment club interested in supporting an innovative business that will change one of the top made-in-Italy industries: fashion.

On 19 December 2016 a conference on VAT aspects of e-commerce, organized by the VAT Commission of the Roll of Chartered Accountants, will be held at the premises of the Roll in Rome. Mario Spera, Principal at Bernoni Grant Thornton will intervene in the conference.

Important innovations concerning VAT warehouses were introduced by Law Decree n. 193/2016, with the aim of preventing possible frauds in this sector. Essentially, the regulation provides distinct rules for the removal of goods from VAT warehouses depending on how they were placed in the warehouses.

On 19 December 2016 an advanced course on Transfer Pricing, organised by the school of professional training (Scuola di Alta Formazione) of the Roll of Chartered Accountants in Milan, will be held at Fondazione Ambrosuaneum in Milan. Paolo Besio and Gianni Bitetti will participate.

This publication is designed to give Chief Financial Officers a high-level awareness of recent changes to IFRS that will affect companies’ future financial reporting. It covers both new Standards and Interpretations that have been issued and amendments made to existing ones. The December 2016 edition of the publication has been updated for changes to International Financial Reporting Standards that have been published between 1 December 2015 and 30 November 2016. In particular, this edition covers the new leasing Standard – IFRS 16, for the first time.

Now available in bookshops and online the VII edition of “Manuale di fiscalità internazionale” (International tax manual - IPSOA Wolters Kluwer, 2016), which sees Alessandro Dragonetti among the editors. It is a comprehensive volume that includes the most recent tax novelties. The tax manual deals indeed with all the basic topics of international taxation but this new edition is enriched with a full chapter dedicated to BEPS, an overview of relevant EU Court of Justice judgements as well as analysis on residence and double taxation.

On 12 December 2016 the conference entitled “Il consumatore ed il libero professionista, protagonisti della normativa sulla Crisi da Sovraindebitamento ex Legge 3/2012. Giurisprudenza e prassi” and organised by the commission for crisis of over-indebtedness of the Roll of chartered accountants in Rome (Commissione Crisi da Sovraindebitamento) will be held at the Roll of Chartered Accountants in Rome.