This incentive, governed by circular no. 14036 of February 15, 2017 and conceived within the National Industry 4.0 Plan, has been refinanced with the new 2025 Budget Law with 1.7 billion for the 2025-2029 period. Let's look specifically at who the incentive is aimed at, what it consists of, which investments are eligible, and finally, some practical examples.
Who is the Nuova Sabatini incentive aimed at?
The Nuova Sabatini is a measure provided by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy to facilitate access to credit and is aimed at micro, small and medium-sized enterprises operating in any sector except the financial and insurance sectors. Companies must meet the following requirements:
- Be regularly established and registered in the Business Register or the Fishing Business Register
- Be in full exercise of their rights, not be in voluntary liquidation nor subject to bankruptcy proceedings
- Not be among the subjects who have received and not repaid aid considered incompatible by the European Commission
- Not be companies in difficulty
- Have a registered office in Italy or in a EU Member State, provided that the opening of an operational office in Italy is planned before the start of the investment
- Be regularly established and registered in the Business Register or the Fishing Business Register
- Be in full exercise of their rights, not be in voluntary liquidation nor subject to bankruptcy proceedings
- Not be among the subjects who have received and not repaid aid considered incompatible by the European Commission
- Not be companies in difficulty
- Have a registered office in Italy or in a EU Member State, provided that the opening of an operational office in Italy is planned before the start of the investment
What does the Nuova Sabatini incentive consist of?
The incentive consists of a subsidized loan with a public guarantee and a non-repayable grant for the purchase, also through leasing, of machinery, equipment, plants, hardware, and software. In particular, the incentive is structured as follows:
- Full financing of the investment by a bank or a contracted financial intermediary. The loan has a maximum duration of 5 years and the amount must be between a minimum of 20,000.00 Euros and a maximum of 4 Million.
- Assistance from the guarantee fund for small and medium-sized enterprises up to a maximum of 80% of the loan
- The non-repayable grant is equal to the interest accrued on the loan amount calculated conventionally on a 5-year amortization plan with semi-annual installments at an interest rate of 2.575% per year for ordinary investments and an interest rate of 3.575% per year for the purchase of assets falling under the 4.0 definition and for green investments.
Which investments are eligible for the Nuova Sabatini?
Investments must start after the date of the financing request to the ministry and must be completed within 12 months of signing the financing contract. The investment is eligible if it is conceived within one of the following plans:
- Expansion of production
- Diversification of production
- Industrial reconversion
- Creation of a new production plant.
Eligible assets must be new and classifiable in the Balance Sheet assets in one of the following sections: "plants and machinery" (B.II.2), "industrial and commercial equipment" (B.II.3) or "other assets" (B.II.4). It is specified that purchases through leasing are also eligible. Finally, the assets must satisfy the following two requirements:
- Functional autonomy. Parts or components of another machine are not allowed unless this new component integrates the previous machine with additional functionalities.
- Correlation with the production activity. Only assets functional to the company's activity are allowed.
In any case, expenses relating to land or buildings are not eligible.
As mentioned previously, assets falling under the Industry 4.0 definition enjoy an increased incentive; for a detailed description of the Industry 4.0 concept, we recommend consulting the article on Capital Goods Tax Credit.
News: Sabatini or "green investments".
With Circular no. 410823 dated December 6, 2022, and starting from January 1, 2023, MIMIT has defined the terms and conditions for access to a new incentive line provided within the same Sabatini, namely "green investments".
Specifically, these are investments connected to the purchase or acquisition (in the case of leasing) of brand new machinery, plants, and equipment for production use, with low environmental impact and within a programming perspective aimed at improving the eco-sustainability of products and production processes.
For such operations, not only are the classic non-repayable grants provided (2.575 or 3.575), but if the investment possesses a suitable environmental process certification or a suitable environmental product certification, the non-repayable grant is increased by 30%.
Specifically, these are investments connected to the purchase or acquisition (in the case of leasing) of brand new machinery, plants, and equipment for production use, with low environmental impact and within a programming perspective aimed at improving the eco-sustainability of products and production processes.
For such operations, not only are the classic non-repayable grants provided (2.575 or 3.575), but if the investment possesses a suitable environmental process certification or a suitable environmental product certification, the non-repayable grant is increased by 30%.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the Nuova Sabatini is an incentive tool of crucial importance for companies intending to invest in capital goods and expand production. As seen previously, this incentive, combined with the capital goods tax credit, can cover part of the acquisition cost of assets.
A further strength of this bonus is that, unlike classic regional or ministerial calls, it does not have precise deadlines, but can be requested throughout the year, which makes companies freer to use it whenever they prefer.
A further strength of this bonus is that, unlike classic regional or ministerial calls, it does not have precise deadlines, but can be requested throughout the year, which makes companies freer to use it whenever they prefer.
