Ente Certificazione Macchine performs third-party conformity verification in accordance with Industry 4.0 standards, in order to assess whether the equipment meets the requirements for tax credit eligibility.
THE CONTEXT
With the aim of promoting and encouraging Italian companies to purchase goods that facilitate the technological and digital transformation of production processes, the 2022 Budget Law (Law No. 234 of December 30, 2021) extended to 2025 and remodeled the tax credit measure for investments in tangible and intangible assets in line with Transition 4.0.
Companies that invest in tangible capital goods 4.0 between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2025, or by June 30, 2026, provided that by December 31, 2025, the relevant order has been accepted by the seller and advance payments of at least 20% of the acquisition cost have been made, are eligible for the tax credit for tangible capital goods 4.0 (Annex A, Law No. 232 of December 11, 2016 – formerly hyper-amortization).
For companies that invest in intangible assets 4.0 (Annex B, Law No. 232 of December 11, 2016), the following investment timelines apply:
- until December 31, 2023 (or by June 30, 2024) for 20% of the cost,
- from January 1, 2024, until December 31, 2024 (or by June 30, 2025), at a rate of 15% of the cost,
- from January 1, 2025, until December 31, 2025 (or by June 30, 2026), at a rate of 10% of the cost.
Depending on the type and period of investment, credit percentages may vary as follows:
| TIPO DI INVESTIMENTO | PERIODO DI ACQUISTO | % DEL CREDITO D’IMPOSTA |
|---|---|---|
| Tangible capital goods included in Annex A of Law No. 232 of December 11, 2016 | From January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025 (or by June 30, 2026, with a balance of 20% of advance payments due by December 31, 2025) | 20% (up to €2.5 million) 10% (from €2.5 to €10 million) 5% (from €10 to €20 million) |
| Intangible assets included in Annex B of Law No. 232 of December 11, 2016 | Until December 31, 2023 (or by June 30, 2024, with a balance of 20% of advance payments due by December 31, 2023) From January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024 (or by June 30, 2025, with a balance of 20% of advance payments by December 31, 2024) From January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025 (i.e., by June 30, 2026, with a balance of 20% of advance payments by December 31, 2025) | 20% (up to €1 million) 15% (up to €1 million) 10% (up to €1 million) |
Why choose ECM?
Companies applying for access to tax credits are required to submit and retain appropriate documentation demonstrating the actual incurrence and correct determination of eligible costs. In order to access the incentives provided for investments referred to in Annexes A and B of Law No. 232 of December 11, 2016, it is necessary to produce:
- a sworn technical report issued by an engineer or industrial expert
- a certificate of conformity/compliance issued by an accredited certification body, together with the relative technical report/expertise accompanying it.
- A declaration made by the legal representative (only for goods costing less than €300,000).
This certification/attestation must provide evidence that the goods possess technical requirements such as to include them in the lists referred to in Annexes A and B, and that they are interconnected with the company’s production or supply management system.
Certifying the conformity/compliance of the asset/good with the required specifications is a complex activity, which requires the involvement of highly specialized professionals with specific and multidisciplinary technical expertise.
Should errors or irregularities be found during the monitoring activity of the tax credit utilization by the competent authorities, the applicable administrative and/or criminal penalties may be incurred, depending on the specific cases.
ECM, acting as an independent third party body, carries out the third-party Conformity Verification activity in a 4.0 context, in order to check the compliance of the equipment with the requirements needed to access the tax credit, both for assets/goods valued over €300,000 and for those valued below this threshold, thereby reducing the risks that may arise from limiting oneself to self-certification.
As a certification body accredited for the Certification of Management Systems pursuant to standard EN ISO/IEC 17021 and for Product Certification pursuant to standard EN ISO/IEC 17065, ECM is authorized to issue the Certificate of Conformity, attesting that the asset possesses technical characteristics such as to include it in Annexes A and B of Law no. 232 of 2016 and is interconnected with the company’s production management system or the supply network.
