Advertising bonus for 2024 – final statement to be filed by 10 February 2025
Bolzano, 27.01.2025
Businesses and self-employed professionals who submitted the advance booking for the 2024 advertising bonus in March 2024 must report the expenses actually incurred in 2024 by 10 February 2025. As is known, for the year 2024 a tax credit amounting to 75% of the increase in costs compared with the year 2023 is available for advertising expenditure in print media, including any online editions thereof. In order to be entitled to the credit, there must be an increase in expenditure of at least one percentage point.
In order to obtain the tax credit, a declaration in lieu of affidavit concerning the expenses actually borne in 2024 must be filed electronically, using the relevant form of the Italian Revenue Agency, by 10 February 2025 at the latest. The form can be downloaded at the following address:
https://www.informazioneeditoria.gov.it/media/3958/bonus-pubblicita_modello-comunicazione-dichiarazione_2022-2023.pdfwww.informazioneeditoria.gov.it/media/3958/bonus-pubblicita_modello-comunicazione-dichiarazione_2022-2023.pdf
And at the following address you will also find the necessary instructions for completing and filing the declaration in lieu of affidavit:
https://www.informazioneeditoria.gov.it/media/3959/bonus-pubblicita_istruzioni-per-la-compilazione.pdfwww.informazioneeditoria.gov.it/media/3959/bonus-pubblicita_istruzioni-per-la-compilazione.pdf
The form and the instructions have not changed compared with the previous year.
For the purposes of allocating the expenses to the 2024 period, the principle of economic allocation („accrual principle“) applies to businesses, whereas for self-employed professionals the cash principle is decisive. In practice, therefore, in the case of businesses those advertising services are taken into account which were also printed in 2024, irrespective of when they were invoiced and paid. No supporting documents or invoices whatsoever are to be enclosed with the declaration in lieu of affidavit itself. However, these must be retained for any inspection purposes.
At most, amounts up to the level of the advance notification filed last March can be recognised. Insofar as the tax credit of 75% of the cost increase indicated in the notification exceeds the threshold of 150.000 Euro, a separate anti-mafia declaration must also be enclosed. Since the budget funds are limited, it must be expected – as in previous years – that the tax credit actually granted will amount to only a fraction of 75%.
The subsidy is subject to the de-minimis restrictions (limit of 300.000 Euro over 3 years).
The final amount of the tax credit is to be determined at a later date by means of a separate decree. The tax credit may then be used exclusively for offsetting purposes in form F24.
The payment code is 6900.
It remains to be added that, for income tax purposes, the advertising bonus must be recognised as income. As a rule, businesses will have to report the subsidy under item A.5 of the profit and loss account; since the actual amount of the subsidy is not yet established at present, it will not yet have to be taken into account in the 2024 financial statements; conversely, the subsidies will already have to be reported in the tax return for 2024; chaos is therefore inevitable.
Note: Should you wish us to file the declaration in lieu of affidavit for 2024 on your behalf, please let us know in the next few days
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries.
Yours faithfully,
Dott. Comm. Josef Vieider
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