A significant portion of the Italian economy is affected by the generational transition. Micro-enterprises, those with fewer than ten employees, number nearly 4 million: they account for 94.8% of active companies, 43.2% of employees, and 26.8% of added value, or 221.1 billion out of a total of 825.5 billion; they are also distinguished by the prevalence of self-employment (60% of total employees). For them – in the succession from parent to child – cultural, bureaucratic, fiscal, and financial obstacles are a serious impediment to business continuity in at least 25 percent of cases, equating to nearly one million small businesses with a combined annual revenue of 55 billion euros. The issue threatens Made in Italy, particularly crafts, carpentry, plumbing, tailoring, and food and wine: "Hundreds of thousands of trades and activities, in some cases with a strong historical value as well as purely economic value, face extinction," according to Unimpresa. The state, according to the association, should make the transition from parents to children easier by streamlining bureaucracy and eliminating taxes.
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