Adopting XBRL in Italy: Early evidence of fit between Italian GAAP Taxonomy and current reporting practices of non-listed companies

XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) will soon be the leading means of corporate financial reporting. A key feature of its adoption relies on well-defined standard taxonomies, which should adequately reflect both the accounting standards and the reporting practices of firms. This study considers this issue, following the concept of ―taxonomy fit‖ proposed by Bovee et al. (2002; 2005) and Bonson et al. (2009a). The aim is to fill a specific gap in the previous literature, by analyzing the applicability of XBRL in the context of template-based accounting standards. Specifically, we assess the fit between the XBRL Italian GAAP Taxonomy and the traditional annual reports of Italian non-listed companies, which are required to file their financial statements in XBRL. The results show an almost perfect fit but with significant differences among the financial statements analyzed. In addition, the degree of misfit, when it occurs, depends on the sector, the size and the level of disaggregation of information provided by the companies.