October 31, 2012
The Italian Government has approved a draft of the Financial Law for 2013 that anticipates an introduction of stamp duty on financial transactions as of January 1, 2013.
The information provided below is included in a draft of the Stability Law that has been approved by the Government and it is currently being discussed in the Italian Parliament for the final approval, therefore we expect to see changes made to this initial draft.
We understand that the proposal will feature the following:
Transactions on shares and other participating financial instruments issued by Italian resident companies are subject to s stamp duty of 0.05% on the value of the trades.
The Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) is due in equal measure by the parties of the transactions with exclusion of entities merely interposed in those transactions.
Transactions with EU, BCE, EU central banks, central banks and other entities that manage State reserves of foreign countries, entities and supranational organisations set up on the basis of international agreements enforceable in Italy will be exempt from the stamp duty.
Where FTT is not paid, the related transactions may be null and void.