Whilst trying to stand this sausage thing on its feet, I’ve discovered that it is not all that easy to find the information you need. In Italy, getting the right, well almost, information often means wasting half a day or so in some anonymous public office somewhere, clutching the inevitable numbered ticket. And often these offices are only open for half a day.
On the other hand, get it wrong, and if the authorities do catch up with you, they will stamp on you hard, and you pay for your ignorance in the form of large fines. Explaining that you could not find out where to go to obtain the information you needed, is, of course, no defence.
Still, maybe I’m moaning about nothing. I mean, there are lots of foreigners who set up enterprises around Italy, and I cannot believe all of them are totally without the requisite permissions. Then again, with the right finance, you can hire a decent adviser and get him or her to dig around for you. On the condition that you know what information he or she should obtain for you, or feel that you can trust them enough to ‘get the job’ done.
Hiring someone to prepare the ground for you is an option, but, there are other options. Spending some time on the web can help, but you do need to know the terms you should be searching for, as I’ve been discovering. Once you have the right terms, you can target your search much more effectively. Knowing some Italian does not harm either, as you might imagine.
While Italy is renown for it’s Byzantine, or should that be ‘Machiavellian’, bureaucracy and complex legislation, it is by no means the only country in Europe where finding what you need to know is not easy. Apparently France is the equal of Italy, in terms of trying to set up a business.
Still, if and when you do manage to overcome all the little (!) obstacles, you should feel some sense of satisfaction, although once you are out in the ‘business battlefield’, so to speak, that sense may be rather short lived. In Italy, if you do start making some money, you may well find that the dear old tax man will whittle it all away rather quickly. This is in part why Italian businesses use just about any and every loophole they can find to keep themselves in profit, or it could be argued that it is as a result of Italian businesses exploiting every trick they can, that the dear old Italian tax man takes so much away. Catch 22?
Me, and my partner ‘in crime’, Gaetano, shall keep plugging away, in an attempt to raise our ‘child’ into ‘adulthood’. And as every parent will know, this is by no means an easy thing to do. And juggling other things around at the same time is not going to be easy, either. ‘Why do it, then?’, you may ask. Well, there are lots of reasons. Here are a few: creating something from nothing, being in control, meeting challenges, and, let’s be honest, cash. ‘Can we do it?’. Yes (I am arrogant), and we are sure as hell going to give it a go.
The ball will roll on, but, if it does not end up in the goal, we’ll have to be brave and call it a day. This is going to be the difficult part.
Gege' Bau says
Hi Alex,
I’m really liking your blog!
I agree and acknowledge the various cultural interpretations of honesty. They don’t call it Roshomon for nothing! However, in the modern world, it is TROPPO COMODO to pull off a swindle then excuse it with the culture card.
As for Italy and the church – don’t get me started. My theory is that the vatican’s presence in this country and the church’s omnipresence in every aspect of Italian social, political and economic life is at the root of many if not most of this country’s problems. Since the subject at hand is ‘honesty’, I’ll simply say that the RC church has a very fluid, self serving grasp of that concept.
I am, in fact, a photographer, though not by profession. How’d you figure that out???
Sounds like we could learn a lot from each other!
Happy Holidays to you and yours.
AlexR says
Hi Gege’ Bau,
Good to hear from you again.
Yes, there is a very thin line between sharp business practice and dishonesty.
However, Italians, and this also means Italian professionals, have a different concept of honesty from those with Anglo-Saxon type origins. You may think they are being dishonest (and so may I), but they won’t. ‘Furbo’ is an oft used word here, as you may know.
What is a little odd, is that Italy is also home to that moral housekeeper, the Roman Catholic church, but it appears that the RC church seems to accept that the concept of honesty is something which varies from place to place, and culture to culture.
Anyway, moving back to Italy, doing business here is a case of understanding that you are going to come across a different style of honesty from what you may have been brought up to expect. This is something I believe you know, although I suspect your fingers may have been singed on the odd occasion…
It sounds as though I could learn a thing or two from you!
All the best, and Merry Christmas to you, if you celebrate it that is. I don’t know, and I’ve no wish to offend.
Alex
PS Are you a photographer by any chance?
Gege' Bau says
Hi Alex,
Indeed, I forgot to remark that this tendency toward, errr, (how to put this delicately?) DISHONESTY in the professions is certainly not exclusive to Italians. I grew up and spent the first 27 years of my life in New York, the Land of Sheisters! I’m now 54 and have had more than my share of opportunities to compare American professional crooks to Italian professional crooks – and I can honestly say I take my hat off to the Italians.
AlexR says
Gege’ Bau, thanks for discovering my blog!
Now, what you say is very true, but this is something I have been aware of since my days in the property/Real estate world in the UK, many moons ago.
Basically, just because some says he or she is a lawyer does not mean he or she can help you. You really do need to ensure the lawyer, or whatever professional, has real expierience in the issues you are examining. However, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of believing that the brass nameplate implies that the individual or company concerned is the right pro for you, especially in today’s compartmentalised world;)
I do hope that people read and take heed of our, IMHO, extremely valid, and common viewpoints.
Kind regards and I hope you pass this way again soon.
Alex
Gege' Bau says
Hi Alex,
Just discovered your blog – nice work!
As a word of warning to anyone who thinks that hiring someone here to help navigate Italy’s kafkaesque legal mazes – beware! Just because someone has hung a sign outside his door advertising his status as ‘commercialista’ or ‘studio legale’ or what have you does not mean that this person is going to do anything more than take your money and run. But he won’t run until he’s sure he’s gotten as much money out of you as he can. This may seem like an unfortunate generalization and appear offensive to those honest professionals that may read the blog. But since an forewarned is forearmed, your readers should know that clarity, transparency and honesty are not among the professionals’ required attributes in this country.