Reliable tax information is a priority need for businesses and taxpayers in general.
International groups companies operating in Italy, above all, are confronted with a different tax system from the one they are accustomed to in the country of their parent company: they need to understand the various aspects, sometimes complex, in order to understand how to comply without incurring penalties.
In addition freelancers and start-ups entering the market for the first time, as well as small and medium-sized businesses, have specific needs.
If tax information is essential, it is less clear where to find verified contents. What are the authoritative sources and how do you read articles on economic, financial and tax issues?
Tax information: don’t just trust Google
When we have a question or a doubt of any nature, our first habit is to search the web, or better, to ask Google. In most cases, in fact, Internet is the fastest means within our reach, from PC or smartphone, from the office, from home, while traveling.
The ease of Internet searches makes us forget that, if we rely on a search engine to obtain information, we have to ask ourselves: on the basis of which criteria are some links returned to us and not others?
Google is an excellent search engine and includes, among its parameters, the authoritativeness of the source. It is important to know, however, that this is not the only criterion it uses to decide which articles to propose.
In short: for correct tax information, the links that Google returns are not always the best.
Check your sources
The first tip for getting correct information is to check the source. On the web everyone has a right to speak, but not everyone is reliable. A good starting point is to read traditional press, that you know or that have been recommended by specialists, but in any case, when we come on a link recommended by Google, we must ask ourselves some questions:
- What site is it? Is it a blog or a regularly registered newspaper?
- Is there an “about us” section that helps us understand who the authors of the article are?
- Are the authors specialists?
- Is this an outreach site for the general public or is it intended for professionals?
Answering these questions will help us understand if we have came on the right site.
For example, if we are looking for tax information for a multinational group, a consumer magazine is not the best choice, whereas we will find more timely content in specialized magazines.
Simple content and precise content
Haste gives bad advice, especially when we are looking for complex information.
On the web you can find many short articles, blog posts or magazine posts, short texts written in simple language.
They are easily read and found, they have titles that remain in the memory, but synthesis is not always synonymous with rigor.
To simplify, many posts are forced to omit details that are important. Even the headlines of distinguished newspapers, when discussing economic or fiscal news, can be a source of misunderstanding.
The content you find by mining posts on channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook can be useful, but sometimes includes references that, taken out of context, are misleading.
It can also happen to find content posted by people who are not very knowledgeable, or quite simply, outdated texts, reporting issues that are now outdated by legislation.
Draft laws and final texts
Even when we read articles from authoritative sources, we can be misled.
Newspapers tend to publish previews of laws, news of amendments, and debates in the making between political forces.
A quick read can lead us to believe that these are regulations already passed and in effect.
Almost always the previews published by the specialized media turn out to be accurate, but in any case it is necessary to wait for the text of the law to be approved in its final form and published in the Official Gazette.
With a little method, it is possible to count on verified tax information, perhaps starting with these habits:
- don’t stop at reading the title of the article, check the author and source and read the whole text
- save the link to the article so you can read it again or consult with an expert.
- check who and how published that news item, perhaps by comparing other authoritative sources
- ask your chartered accountant before making any decisions.
