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Dolce & Gabbana tax convictions erased by Italy’s top court

October 26, 2014

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, founders of the high-end Italian fashion label Dolce & Gabbana, are no longer convicted tax evaders.

Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce via ANSA Twitter feedItaly's highest court on Oct. 24 overturned two lower court convictions that the duo had participated in what Italian prosecutors called a "sophisticated tax fraud" scheme.

Dolce and Gabbana had been found guilty in April 2013 of using a Luxembourg holding company to avoid paying taxes of €200 million ($253.39 million U.S. as of this morning's exchange rate) on royalties for sales in 2004 and 2005.

That sizable chunk — I'm going with the more than $253 million U.S. dollars, not the euros amount — of now-not-due taxes also is this week's By the Numbers figure.

End of long tax battle: The ruling by Rome's Court of Cassation determined that the designers committed no crime. It also cleared the duo's tax accountant, two managers and Dolce's brother.

Following the ruling, which wraps up a seven-year court battle, Gabbana took to Twitter to celebrate, announcing, "Eravamo certi!!! Siamo delle persone oneste!!!" In case your Italian is rusty, that translates, "We knew it!!! We are honest people!"

The company's official response echoed that sentiment:

Dolce and Gabbana tax conviction overturned 102414 company statement

I suspect we'll also see this excitement reflected in the next line of D&G haute couture.

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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