In its Answer No. 10 of 15 July 2025, the Italian Revenue Agency clarified a doubt that had arisen regarding the obligation for shipowners who are individuals acting outside the scope of a business, art or profession to act as withholding tax agents.

We have already addressed the issue of VAT treatment of leasing contracts entered into by private shipowners (so-called B2C transactions) on several times. The relevant legislation, which regulates non-short-term leasing contracts for yachts to private individuals in general, is contained in Article 7-sexies, paragraph 1, letter e-bis) of Presidential Decree No. 633/1972, and in Revenue Agency Provisions No. 341339/2020 and No. 151377/2021.

Chartering in the Italian seas always arouses great interest both for the beauty and importance of our coasts and for the highly professionalism of the operators offering these services. 

Italy is certainly one of the most attractive destinations for what is known as nautical tourism, and there are several tax implications associated with the performance of nautical charter activities by nautical charter operators.

The issuing of Circular No. 8 of 10 April 2025 by the Italian Custom Agency provided an opportunity to review the clarifications issued by the financial administration on the subject of the temporary admission of yachts for private use and to summarise the main rules representing this regime.

With the summer season approaching, a frequently recurring issue of great interest to yacht owners who intend to occasionally charter their yacht comes up.