For carrying out the activities referred to in art. 5 of the Third Sector Code, civilly recognized religious entities will have to establish a designated patrimony and keep the accounting records referred to in art. 13 (art. 4, Legislative Decree no. 117/2017).
With regard to the resulting tax consequences and in compliance with the provisions of the Civil Code (art. 2447-bis ss.), religious entities with an ETS or IS "branch" will therefore have to identify in the initial balance sheet which assets ( movable or immovable) that become part of the intended assets of the "branch".
Also in order to guarantee compliance with the transparency obligations, the keeping of the accounting records must allow a clear identification of the operations relating to the performance of activities of general interest carried out within the "branch" separate from the institutional ones of religion and worship . Furthermore, common costs must be reduced to a minimum, to be distributed on the basis of the proportional criterion established by the tax law for non-commercial entities (Article 144, paragraph 2, T.U.I.R.). However, it is believed that this does not impose the maintenance of a separate journal and/or cost plan for each activity provided that, also according to the provisions of the Revenue Agency resolution 86/E of 2002, the maintenance of a detailed chart of accounts which makes it possible to distinguish the different movements made.
