Finding a Commercialista

If you are going to start any kind of business in Italy or work as a freelance or entrepreneur, you will need to find a good accountant. It is worth mentioning that you can handle your tax affairs yourself with free guidance from a ‘tutor’ at your local agenzia delle entrate (tax office) but unless you are confident, speak good Italian and are good with numbers and changing tax laws, it is probably best to let the professionals deal with it.

The Italian for accountant is a commercialista, and they double as business consultants too rather than just sorting out your taxes. In fact, they are really a cross between a tax lawyer and an accountant. Their title is actually Dottore Commercialista which means they have a university qualification and Ragioniere Commercialista which means they are less qualified. Don’t forget there is also a type of ‘super accountant’ – a fiscal lawyer called a ‘tributarista.’ These people are not chartered accountants at all but tax experts who specialise in advising businesses that are going to be dealing internationally and are always one step ahead of the people in the Inland Revenue! The Italian tax system is complex and  the laws are always changing (have a look in an Italian accountants office and you will see it is lined with law books!) and so it is well worthwhile getting some top class advice at the beginning.

As we have seen in the case study on James Sebastian Steel who has a custom motorbike distribution business, it is often a good idea to go to a tributarista in one of the big cities like Milan, even if you are intending doing business in another part of Italy as he says they are more likely to be most on the ball.

What to Look For

Get your commercialista early on as you will find it an essential part of setting up your business. Unless you speak good Italian, search for someone who speaks English and has experience with ex-pat companies, ideally your kind of business. The icing on the cake is to find someone like this who is also within easy reach of where you live, as most commercialisti will want to see you in person at least once a year.

So Where Do You Find a Good Accountant?

A lot of business in Italy is done on personal contact and recommendation. So the most obvious first port of call is to ask people you know who already do business in Italy if they would recommend anyone. If you are in the UK then this could mean talking to the owner of your local Italian restaurant or the Italian representative who drops into your company. Everybody knows somebody and if their best friend or sister isn’t an accountant then their best friend’s cousin’s brother will know one. The problem with this approach is that you may then feel virtually obliged to use the person concerned even if their services turn out not to be what you need. And being Giovanni’s best friend isn’t necessarily a guarantee of quality.

Your local Italian Chamber of Commerce may be able to recommend a good commercialista who specialises in your particular area of business and your Italian bank manager may also be able to help.

Another approach is to ask for recommendations on one of the forums for ex-pats in Italy. This is quite a good tactic as the people who offer advice are generally those who have ‘been there and done that’ and they are more likely to know what you are looking for. This may well be an English speaking accountant who has experience of UK and Italian fiscal law for example. A good forum to try is www.italymag.co.uk

BEV now has a Service Centre where you can contact a list of accountants with just one click of the mouse.

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