Technological and digital evolution has undergone a sudden acceleration in recent years: innovations that some time ago were long overdue are now occurring at a dizzying pace. These changes affect our daily lives and, to an even greater extent, the lives of businesses that must, in order not to be cut off from market competition, constantly adapt and innovate, as much in products as in management logic and production processes.
To meet these needs, which are often quite time-consuming to translate into practice, recent governments have prepared or renewed a series of facilities and incentives aimed precisely at fostering the digitization of businesses, with a particular focus on SMEs.
Let’s now look in more detail at what is meant by digitization, what tools are available (Voucher, Patent Box, Tax Credit…), how to disburse them, and everything else that is useful to know.
What is enterprise digitization?
The Ministry of Economic Development (from now MISE) has established what interventions can be financed in the area of business digitization, effectively providing a comprehensive definition. Business digitization is defined as the purchase of software, hardware and/or specialized services that enable the following
- Improve business efficiency;
- Modernize the organization of work through the use of technological tools and forms of labor flexibility, including teleworking;
- Develop e-commerce solutions;
- enjoy broadband and ultra-wideband connectivity or connection to the Internet via satellite technology;
- To carry out qualified personnel training interventions in the ICT field.
All these interventions will enjoy deductions and concessions in order to bring Italian companies to compete more vigorously in the domestic and international markets.
Requirements for enterprise digitization
Are you wondering if your business can be digitized? The answer is simple: yes! Every enterprise, from the largest to microenterprises via SMEs, can be a key player in a digitization process that will lead to increased turnover, reduced costs and work time, and a much higher level of security than can be achieved without it.
The only real requirement to be met is the will to carry out the process, a will that must be shared by all employees. This is because well-done digitization will surely bring about changes in production, sales, management, and communication (internal and external) processes that must be embraced by everyone (and we know how difficult it is to change one’s habits).
It is most important in this regard to be able to communicate the importance of the entire process to the enterprise and the benefits expected from its implementation.
Facilities and incentives for enterprise digitization
Let us now descend into the magnum sea of incentives and facilities provided for digitization and analyze them one by one. Each of these items can be explored in depth on the dedicated portals, first and foremost that of the MISE, where you will also find the normative references on which to base yourself.
Hyper-amortization and super-amortization
Two institutes are planned to provide incentives for enterprises to purchase (new) tangible and intangible capital goods functional to the technological and digital transformation of production processes.
Specifically, hyper-amortization is referred to as the “…250 percent supervaluation of investments in new tangible assets, devices and technologies aimed at fostering 4.0 transformation, whether purchased or leased.” (source: MISE).
For super depreciation, on the other hand, the super depreciation will be 130 percent for capital goods (always purchased new or leased).
Finally, for those benefiting from the hyper-amortization there is the possibility of accessing an additional 140 percent super-amortization, this time for investments in intangible assets (software and IT systems).
It should be noted that, except for very large amounts, self-certification at the time of budgeting is sufficient to facilitate access to these facilities.
- Read also: Covid-19: all the incentives for SMEs in 2020 | Support, liquidity and credits
Sabatini ter / New Sabatini
While depreciation is an automatic tool that comes into play at the balance sheet stage, the Sabatini ter or Nuova Sabatini is a facility that comes into play at the credit access stage “…to purchase or lease machinery, equipment, plant, capital goods for productive use and hardware, as well as software and digital technologies.”
It is possible to submit an application by filling out a form electronically and affixing a digital signature with the latest published release, as well as verify and close the form using the methods specified by the Ministry. It will then have to be sent the form via PEC to the bank or financial intermediary from among those participating in the application.
Bonus Training 4.0
The Training 4.0 tax credit serves as an incentive for companies to invest in staff training on the so-called enabling technologies that are relevant to the process of technological and digital transformation of enterprises envisaged by the National Enterprise 4.0 Plan. The training bonus consists of a tax credit of 40 percent of the expenses of employees engaged in training up to a maximum of 300,000 euros for each beneficiary.
The tax credit is available to all companies residing in Italy, noncommercial entities carrying out business activities relevant to business income, and companies residing abroad with permanent establishments also in Italy. Access is automatic when preparing financial statements, with offsetting by submitting the F24 form electronically to the AdE.
Patent box for enterprise digitization
Patent box is a decree that provides preferential taxation on income derived from the use of certain intangible assets. It consists of an optional taxation regime on income derived from the use of copyrighted software, industrial patents, designs, models, processes, formulas and information that relate to experience in the industrial, commercial or scientific field that is legally protectable.
Business income holders can take advantage of the patent box by indicating it in the tax return for the first tax period in question, and it is valid for five tax periods. It was created to incentivize the placement in Italy of intangible assets present abroad, their maintenance on Italian territory and investment in research and development activities.
Voucher innovation manager
The innovation manager voucher is a non-reimbursable contribution for the specialized advice of an innovation manager to a company. It is a contribution provided for the purchase of consulting services designed to finance innovation processes, technological and digital transformation for enterprises, as well as to evolve the management and organizational structures of the company itself.
Both SMEs and business networks are eligible. The funds allocated by the state amount to 75 million euros for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. Certain requirements are needed to obtain the innovation manager voucher and a counter procedure is needed to make the application. For all information on how to proceed, we refer you to our dedicated article.
Research and development tax credit
This business digitization facility allows companies that make investments in research and development (R&D ) to receive a tax incentive that consists of a tax credit. This is a bonus that can be provided to all companies, and to determine it, an incremental-type calculation is made on the excess expenses incurred.
A credit of up to a maximum annual amount of 5 million can be had, but it is granted only to those who make a total expenditure on research and development investment of 30,000 euros or more. The benefit is automatic but must be specified in the tax return. The bonus is to be used by offsetting with an F24 form.