In 2010, requested Patrizio di Marco, at that time chief of the Italian fashion group Gucci, in the Canton of Ticino for a flat-rate taxation. As a foreigner, he had to live in Switzerland. So the fashion Star rented shortly before the application for a small is 4.5-room apartment in the Ticino municipality of Paradiso. The apartment was on the first floor in a rather grim suburb of Lugano.

The law to the flat tax requires that di Marco now lives for at least 90 days per year in that apartment, contiguous. How often is the Gucci Star showed up in the apartment, is unclear. He worked out of Rome and Milan, had a Villa in Rome. His girlfriend, with whom he later had a child, is the designer Frida Giannini, the fashion at the time Director of Gucci. She worked in Florence.

Not modest apartment is a bit strange to

To the life style of the glamorous couple did not fit the suburban apartment anyway. Di Marco is part of the international Jet set. The 56-year-old Italian was not only the head of Gucci, and also Dolce & Gabbana and Golden Goose. At Gucci, he earned a Bonus of around two million euros per year. A further million were for expenses. Alone his dress allowance amounted to 50’000 euros, a car and a driver and a private jet.

Not only the modest apartment is a bit strange. A lump-sum taxed foreigners are not allowed to work according to the law, also in Switzerland. Shortly before his application to the Canton of di Marco received but still millions of a Ticino-based company, which was one of Gucci’s mother’s house Kering. The show confidential documents, which came to the Internet portal media part. The Recherchedesk of Tamedia evaluated together with the network of Journalists EIC.

The documents show how these references were redirected by di Marco with strange contracts, and in 2010, when he presented his application for the lump-sum taxation in the Canton of Ticino. Instead of Switzerland, his millions came from Luxembourg and via have been forwarded to an offshore company in Panama to an account in Singapore.

“Mr di Marco is confident that his approach was correct.”Lawyers of Patrizio di Marco

Because he was no longer paid out of Switzerland, had to pay tax on di Marco, this revenue was also in Switzerland. The Ticino laid down his life-long effort, finally, to 400’000 Swiss francs per year. Today, this is the absolute legal Minimum. The Ticino tax administration was so de facto, that the multiple income millionaire di Marco per year, spends only 400’000 francs, and the Rest of his million on the high edge. In the face of his livelihood velvet private jet that seems questionable. Anyway, di Marco had to pay thanks to the Tessinern from 2010 to 2014, only about 500’000 Swiss francs taxes in Switzerland.

The documents show, however, that he received in his time, in the case of Gucci against 23 million euros, through the shaded paths via Panama, and Singapore. The Italian Treasury would have to actually tax the di Marcos income. If he knew the currents of this hidden money, is unclear.

The Milan public Prosecutor’s office is currently conducting a tax procedure against Kering and Gucci, in the di Marco is involved. The lawyers of the Italian insure that everything is received with the right things: “Mr di Marco is confident that his approach was correct, and he will prove it to the authorities.”

in view of the maneuvers of the Gucci heads, the question is whether, not only in Italy but also in Switzerland have been exceeded the legal limits. The documents raise questions about the small apartment and of financial flows through Luxembourg and Panama. Experts who examined the documents, indicate that di Marco had in the time of his application for the lump-sum tax in the Canton of Ticino, a Board of Directors mandate in Switzerland.

Came to the Canton of Ticino, the fashion group is too strong?

The Gucci-in-chief was, at least from 2009 to 2012, Chairman of the Board of the company Luxury Timepieces International in new castle. Di Marco employed about 500 workers, who produced for Gucci watches. How could he lead such a Swiss company, without working in the country, is an open question.

he Should have in the context of its function as the Gucci-in-chief meetings of the Board of Directors in Switzerland – what’s he supposed to – that would have been allowed to grant the Ticino, he’s not a flat panel. Thus, the question of whether the Canton responded to the fashion group is too strong. Anyway, it is clear that Gucci and parent company Kering have the best contacts in the Canton of Ticino. The Board of Directors of the Kering company, the brother-in-law of Marina Masoni, the former FDP state councillor of the Canton of sitting. Today, she is President of the fashion lobby Ticinomoda.

Masoni want to say anything to the case. Also the Ticino economic and financial head of Christian Vitta says he outer by means of “special Tax deals”. He assured, however, that “the Canton of Ticino will continue to work to create the necessary conditions in order to keep the corporations in Canton and also to gain new ones.”

“The oversight of the Federal government needs to step in here”

For left-wing politicians is the construct of di Marco, however, too far. “This case offends against the law,” Margrit Kiener-Nellen. The national councillor, a lawyer and tax specialist of the SP. “This way, Yes, every Director of a multi national group could ask for in Switzerland, the lump-sum taxation, only with a small Studio here.” A Manager with several million euros of income per year had to be taxed each year according to its worldwide cost of living from the previous year, says Kiener-Nellen, and not on the Minimum of 400’000 francs in a lump sum. “The oversight of the Federal government needs to step in here”, calls you.

the Canton of Ticino, which was always covered by his lump-sum taxes, the revelations of inconvenient. In the last few years has offered the Canton of the Italian and French fashion giants as a tax haven. In Lugano, it is proud of the “Fashion Valley”. Have settled also big luxury labels such as the French conglomerate Kering, which not only Gucci, but also Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Brioni, Boucheron and Pomellato. The fashion industry became the main taxpayer in the Canton.

Last year, the Recherchedesk of Tamedia reported for the first time on the Ticino flat tax of a other Gucci-Chefs, Marco Bizzarri. In addition, about the investigations of the public Prosecutor’s office in Milan against Kering. The authorities assume that the luxury brands of Kering have just been led to form from the Ticino, in order to save on taxes in Italy. Kering denies this.

The cases have triggered a lot in the Südkanton. Last autumn, Kering announced the withdrawal of 150 jobs from the Ticino. It should come to trial against Gucci and their Manager in Milan, is likely to be the practices of the Canton in the Detail, and before the world public. This could bring the Tessinern a significant reputation damage.

notes: recherchedesk@tamedia.ch

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 25.01.2019, at 18:02