In its answer to question no. 344 of 23 June 2022, Inland Revenue ruled on the tax liability of amounts paid under a settlement agreement. In this case, the amount was compensation made by an employer to settle a long-standing dispute with several employees. This disbursement, which related to entitlements due for 2010, 2011, and 2012, was considered by the employer as subject to separate taxation and requested confirmation from the Inland Revenue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In its reply, the tax authority provided a civil law definition of the settlement as being \u201cthe contract by which the parties make mutual concessions, to put an end to a dispute that has begun or prevent a dispute from arising. Mutual concessions may create, modify or terminate relationships other than the one that was the subject of the parties’ claim and dispute” <\/em>(see Art. 1965 of the Italian Civil Code).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In line with what was clarified by the Ministry of Finance in Circular no. 326\/1997, Inland Revenue specified that \u201cindemnities and sums<\/strong> or values received in lieu of employment income, including those arising from any settlement, are taxable as employment income.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After the question\u2019s reply, appropriate considerations followed regarding the \u201ccomprehensive\u201d<\/em> nature of employment income<\/strong>, consisting of the \u201ctotal taxability of everything the employee receives in connection with the employment relationship.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> On this point, Article 49, paragraph 1, of the TUIR was cited, according to which:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same Circular of the Ministry of Finance includes the separate taxation scope of application. The Circular clarified that “the sums and values received, net of legal fees incurred, even as compensation or as part of enforcement, following judicial orders or settlements relating to employment termination are subject to separate taxation”,<\/em> under Article 17, paragraph 1, letter a), last part, of the TUIR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was stressed that separate taxation<\/strong> applies<\/strong> when there are \u201carrears in remuneration for employee services referable to previous years, received because of laws, collective agreements, rulings or administrative acts or other reasons beyond the parties\u2019 control<\/strong>\u201d<\/em> under Article 17, paragraph 1, letter b) of the TUIR. This occurs if the sums in lieu of employment income relate to income that should have been received during a tax period, and are received in a later tax period, as a replacement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As clarified in the above document, the sums and values received because of settlements, other than those relating to the employment termination, where none of the conditions set forth in Article 17, paragraph 1, letter b) apply, are subject to ordinary taxation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering the regulatory and procedural framework described above, the Inland Revenue held that the sums paid<\/strong> by the applicant following the settlement agreement must be included in the employee taxable income for their full amount and subject to ordinary taxation. <\/strong>This is because their payment is not related to the employment termination, nor do any of the conditions set forth in Article 17, paragraph 1, letter b) of the TUIR apply.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In its answer to question no. 344 of 23 June 2022, Inland Revenue ruled on the tax liability of amounts paid under a settlement agreement. In this case, the amount was compensation made by an employer to settle a long-standing dispute with several employees. This disbursement, which related to entitlements due for 2010, 2011, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[214],"class_list":["post-3840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-observatory","tag-taxation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEmployment income<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Separate taxation and scope of application<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n