A research on the Italian fiscal shell companies turnover

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the turnover of Italian shell companies (SCs)/missing traders used for tax crimes, a predicate offence of money laundering. This research could be useful for Italian obliged entities to the Anti-Money Laundering Law to detect and report SCs, as soon as possible, to the Financial Intelligence Unit for Italy.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses a sample of 32 SCs that are present in the Third Penal Section of the Italian Supreme Court in the period 2018–2020, involved in tax crimes and that have presented their balance sheets for two or more years. For SCs, the author computes the averages for: the turnover growth rate from first and the maximum turnover; the years between these two values; and the years in which SCs are active. Moreover, the author verifies if SCs are similar in terms of turnover by studying the relationship between the turnover growth rate and the first turnover and the reduction of turnover standard deviations.

Findings

SCs growth is very high and they reach, on average, their peak in less than three years; SCs are active, on average, for about four years; eventually, SCs exhibit a convergence process in turnover levels.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, there are no studies that analyse the SC turnover.