Ethics, Social Responsibility and Tax Aggressiveness. Can a Code of Ethics Absolve a Company?

The aim of the paper is to contribute to the debate on the relationship between ethics, socially responsible behaviour and tax aggressiveness through the analysis and discussion of a case study.The case presented in this paper concerns a famous Italian fashion house, well known all over the world, which in recent times was tried in court for a tax inversion operation. D&G Group was involved in a long legal trial, whose outcome has given rise to many discussions. The story definitely ended, and after the final trial the Group was judged innocent. However, this case raised a fervent debate that is still ongoing, and it gives the opportunity to discuss some important issues: What is the boundary between legality and ethics in tax behaviour? Can a company claim to adhere to ethical principles if it adopts aggressive tax practices? Can aggressive tax behaviours be acceptable from an ethical point of view?The case also opens questions related to the boundaries between the responsibilities of directors/managers and institutional responsibilities, at both national and supranational level.