Giuseppe Barile
Oct 31, 2024
La Legge di Bilancio 2025 rilancia le aree del Sud Italia: credito d’imposta fino a 100 milioni di euro per gli investimenti nelle Zone Economiche Speciali.
The 2025 Budget Law brings an important opportunity for companies intending to invest in Special Economic Zones ( ZES ) in Italy. The new incentive, in the form of a tax credit, will be available for investments made between January 1 and November 15, 2025 , providing a stimulus for the growth of the less developed areas of the country.
With the aim of promoting economic and social cohesion in disadvantaged areas, a single ZES was established on 19 September 2023 through the Southern Decree . This structure, intended to last for three years, covers the regions of Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia . The strategic plan of the single ZES is designed to incentivize specific sectors and guide priority investments, also identifying the implementation methods for the proposed projects.
All companies, including those operating in the agriculture, fishing and aquaculture sectors, can access the tax benefit. These companies, whether active in primary production or in the processing and marketing phases, will be able to benefit from a tax credit proportional to the costs incurred for the purchase of capital goods, up to a maximum limit of 100 million euros per project .
Eligible investments may include the purchase of machinery, plants, equipment, land and real estate expansions useful for business activities, provided they are intended for production facilities located in the single ZES. Beneficiary companies must commit to keeping their production site active for at least five years after completion of the incentivized investment.
The tax credit can be combined with other contributions, provided that it does not exceed the maximum intensity established by European regulations. However, to obtain recognition of the tax benefit, companies will have to submit detailed documentation of the expenses incurred to the Revenue Agency. This communication, to be made between March 31 and May 30, 2025, must include both the expenses already incurred from November 16, 2024 and those planned up to November 15, 2025. Furthermore, by this deadline, it will be necessary to send an additional communication to certify the realization of the planned investments.
The expenses must also be certified by a legal auditor, thus ensuring that the eligible costs correspond to the company accounting documentation.
Despite the interest and the potential positive impact of the tax breaks provided, doubts remain about the overall effectiveness of these measures for the relaunch of Southern Italy. The bureaucratic complexity and the rigid deadlines for communicating projects can represent an obstacle for small and medium-sized enterprises, which often do not have adequate administrative and consultancy resources to manage complex procedures. Another critical element concerns the availability of funds and their distribution : the capacity of the ceiling for 2025 may not be sufficient to cover the demand if the interest of enterprises were to exceed the forecasts. This limit could translate into an exclusion of potentially valid projects.
To finance the tax credit, 1.8 billion euros have been allocated for 2024 and 1.6 billion euros for 2025 , a significant availability that makes this relief a valuable opportunity for businesses. With the support of qualified professionals, companies will be able to make the most of this measure to expand or improve their production infrastructure within the single SEZ, thus contributing to the economic recovery and competitiveness of the regions involved.