-
Business risk services
Organisations must understand and manage risk and seek an appropriate balance between risk and opportunities.
-
Cybersecurity
As organisations become increasingly dependent on digital technology, the opportunities for cyber criminals continue to grow.
-
Business consulting
We can formulate solutions to keep you ahead of disruptive change.
-
Valuations
Our valuation specialists blend technical expertise with a pragmatic outlook to deliver support during transactions, restructuring and disputes.
-
Transactional advisory services
Helping you with successful growth deals throughout your business life cycle.
-
Recovery and reorganisation
Workable solutions to maximise your value and deliver sustainable recovery.
-
Mergers and acquisitions
Strategic growth decision making. Globalisation and company growth ambitions are driving an increase in M&A activity worldwide.
-
Forensic and investigation services
Rapid and customised approach to investigations and dispute resolution.
-
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
Our member firm IFRS advisers can help you navigate the complexity of the Standards so you can focus your time and effort on running your business.
-
Audit quality monitoring
A key component of our global strategy is to promote the delivery of consistent, high quality client service worldwide.
-
Global audit technology
We apply our global audit methodology through an integrated set of software tools known as the Voyager suite.
-
Corporate and business tax
Growing businesses need strong tax management to meet current and future tax liabilities and we can help you achieve this, whatever challenges you face.
-
Direct international tax
We have the insight and agility to create the strategies you need to respond quickly to ever-changing tax laws.
-
Global mobility services
In a globalised world, businesses must work seamlessly across borders. Organisations operate in multiple countries and view international expansion as a strategic objective.
-
Indirect international tax
With more goods and services crossing national borders than ever before, you may be facing indirect tax obligations in many countries – even those where your customer is located.
-
Innovation and investment incentives
Dynamic businesses must continually innovate to maintain competitiveness, evolve and grow. Valuable tax reliefs are available to support innovative activities, irrespective of your tax profile.
-
Private client services
Protecting business and personal wealth is of upmost importance for private clients worldwide. At Grant Thornton, we bring reason and instinct to all aspects of your personal finance and compliance planning.
-
Transfer pricing
The laws surrounding transfer pricing are becoming ever more complex, as tax affairs of multinational companies are facing scrutiny from media, regulators and the public.
-
Tax policy
Grant Thornton’s teams can work with you to help you understand these regulations, develop a strategy tailored to your business’ individual tax needs and manage tax risk around the globe.
-
Business process solutions
As organisations grow, back office processes and meeting reporting requirements across multiple jurisdictions can become a distraction. We remove the burden of back office operations and worries about compliance to enable you to focus on growth.
Maintain renewable incentives and enhance energy efficiency
16 Apr 2014Stefano Salvadeo on how to reduce utility bills in Italy
Energy costs are a major concern for businesses in Italy: close to two in five business leaders expect rising energy costs to hinder growth over the next 12 months (38%) according to our Q1 International Business Report (IBR) results. This is above the global (35%) and EU (31%) averages and reflects the higher price of energy in Italy compared with the rest of Europe.
Over the years local lawmakers have passed regulations aimed at easing the tax burden for energy-intensive companies rather than lowering energy production costs. This has restricted energy supply, at the same time as subsidising demand, raising prices.
The threat of a vicious circle is now very real. With the economy and labour markets continuing to struggle, consumers and businesses are desperate for lower prices now, rather than in the future. This acts as a major disincentive for governments to take the long term perspective needed to support the move to greener energy sources, potentially leading to higher future prices as fossil fuels become harder to procure.
Clearly, tax exemption is not the answer. Structural interventions in the medium term aimed at reducing the cost of production are key to lighter energy bills. Cleantech businesses in Italy also need financing support. Access to credit is perhaps the biggest constraint they are facing, aside from pervading economic uncertainty, particularly with respect to energy saving projects. Such projects do not generate cash flows as such, but rather they reduce costs and are therefore really difficult for banks and other investors to evaluate.
We also need to think about promoting policies that reduce energy consumption rather than cutting incentives for businesses investing in renewables. Well-targeted, well-thought out energy efficiency policies can help reduce the amount of energy consumers and businesses are using. Take the real estate and construction sector for example; in Italy, buildings consume twice as much energy as the average European property. I would also like to see more investment in energy saving technologies.
Politicians prefer to talk about large renewables incentive schemes, rather than energy saving measures, but this is a lost opportunity. Energy saving measures have the potential to lower energy demand and therefore prices, lowering business costs and increasing consumer spending power. In other words, a great way to get the Italian economy growing again.
Stefano Salvadeo is a partner and head of advisory at Bernoni Grant Thornton.