FAQ ON FINANCING FACILITIES

1. To which and how many eggs can my company actually access?

A census by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) on public aid and incentives (European, state, regional) to companies counted n° 88 national and European measures and as many as 732 measures between regional and chamber. In this vast sea of laws and measures, a company in Northern Italy can statistically access about 36-38 measures, while a company in Central-Southern Italy can access about 44-46. It is important to remember that the regulatory framework that a company located in a certain territory – for example, the province of Milan (but the same applies to any other province in Italy) - can access can be very different compared to another company operating in the same sector and located just 100 meters away.

2. Is it possible to submit the same grant application for two different calls?

Yes, but considering that if both applications are approved, one of the two will necessarily have to be renounced, opting, evidently, for the one that provides greater benefits.

3. How long does it take to obtain the benefits?

This depends on the type of facilitation and the type of call for proposals. By way of example, if it concerns non-repayable grants, after submitting the application, it may take between 30 to 90/120 days to know the outcome. Once approval is obtained, it is necessary to report the costs incurred and, once this activity is completed (in this case, the timing depends on the company), it may take 60/90 days for the disbursement of the grant.

4. Since we do not consider making investments within the next 12 months, how can facilitated finance be useful to me?

With the advent of the crisis, financing and incentives for businesses are no longer limited to investments alone but also extend to other business activities and can concern some costs that the company has incurred in the last twelve months and costs that it will incur in the current year. But not only that. Instruments aimed at supporting and helping companies in financial management are also provided. After all, it is enough to think that today only about 55% of facilitated finance laws concern investments to be made. The horizon of incentives and grants is therefore today, much more than in the past, much broader and more articulated.

5. We submit a request for aid for investments yet to be made, and it is approved. Are we then obliged to carry out the investments?

Absolutely not. It will be sufficient to inform the competent authority, by registered letter with return receipt, of the renunciation of the benefits of the call for proposals as the investment is being waived, or the investment can be scaled down, and, proportionally, the benefits will be scaled down.

6. I have always been told that there is little to nothing for my company...

The entrepreneur who receives this type of information has evidently been informed by someone not competent in the field of Facilitated Finance. It is worth noting that entrepreneurs often turn to their accountant, who often does not deal with the procurement of incentives, contributions, or facilitated financing as it does not fall within their duties and responsibilities (which are already burdensome in themselves). In fact, Facilitated Finance is a subject, in many cases, quite complex that requires total commitment.

7. We got interested, we only wasted time: we did not have the requirements to access various calls…

This happens because companies too often receive “rainfall” or generic information about calls and facilitated finance laws or they independently procure the information. After getting interested, they then discover, in 80% of cases, that they do not have the requirements to access the call. It would therefore be appropriate for the company to equip itself with a tool capable of “filtering” the “right” calls for it.

8. I am only interested in non-repayable grants…

It should be noted that incentives such as the "interest account" (reduction of interest on mortgage or leasing operations) are now comparable to a non-repayable grant. But not only that. There are tax bonuses, such as the Tax Credit, which are still fiscally more advantageous than a non-repayable grant.

9. We tried, funds exhausted, we got nothing…

Sometimes a poorly informed business ends up requesting incentives and contributions on some "inflated" call, risking the exhaustion of funds. However, considering the wide and vast panorama of opportunities that Facilitated Finance offers, it would be better to focus on those less inflated laws or, in some cases, even unknown.

10. Facilitated Finance? Too much bureaucracy …

It is important to clarify that there are currently several calls and laws that do not require excessive formalities, so the application could be managed independently by the Company (provided that it has clear and simple instructions). In other cases, bureaucracy is indeed complex, but it will be enough to delegate a professional in the field to simplify everything, obtaining undeniable advantages and economic benefits.

11. What are the tax aspects of the incentives?

Any type of incentive, benefit, or subsidized financing is subject to tax regulations and principles that are managed by the accountant who follows the business.

12. I do not believe in Facilitated Finance. The funds are divided among themselves, assigned with clientelistic and political logics ...

Fortunately, things have changed radically in recent years. There is now much more transparency and mechanisms for evaluation and/or IT systems have been implemented that fully protect the requesting companies.