Freedom of Information?

[Steve Graham]

The decision by the Italian tax office to grant public access to the tax statements of private citizens has sparked a wave of protests and accusations of violation of privacy.
The information for the fiscal year 2005 is currently available through the tax office's website and includes taxpayers' names, birthdates, addresses, declared income and tax paid, arranged alphabetically and according to the municipality where tax declarations were filed.

According to economist Renato Brunetta, a close advisor to incoming premier Silvio Berlusconi, the tax office was right to seek greater transparency but should have done so in a less spectacular way.

Links:
Life In Italy News

Agenzia delle Entrate

(The Agenzia site seems to be down for some reason...)

[Sally Donaldson]

The web site seems okay now Steve. Does that mean if I wanted to find out how much my doctor friend makes I could find out online???

[Steve Graham]

Originally Posted by Sally Donaldson

The web site seems okay now Steve. Does that mean if I wanted to find out how much my doctor friend makes I could find out online???

I suppose so, unless he or she has been following Bepe Grillo's advice...

[Noble]

I seem to remember that in the past some Comune's published "Tax Lists". Open to public view. Starting at the top with who had paid the most. The idea was to shame those who had not paid their taxes, or had not paid enough. This being Italy, it became praiseworthy not to appear on the list or at least be right at the bottom!!

[Annamaria]

The page is down because this action could contravene the data privacy act. They are now looking into it to see if this in fact the case.

[gradese]

Quite breathtaking that a politician of the outgoing government should take the decision to publish this information apparently without warning and without consultaton. It doesn't make it any more likely that people will be honest in declaring their income.

[Sally Donaldson]

I clicked on both links and they both seem to work. Maybe though they don't in Italy???

[Nardini]

Originally Posted by Sally Donaldson

I clicked on both links and they both seem to work. Maybe though they don't in Italy???

Both of the links you refer to work here in Italy, Sally. However, the data relating to individuals tax statements has been removed from the Agenzia delle Entrate website after a day of the entire site being disabled whilst their webdesigners sorted it out - the removal, that is, Sally.

The whole situation was, quite frankly, appalling in my view. A rather disgruntled ex-official (ex now, certainly) getting his own back on everyone. Still - I'm sure we have all wanted to do something like it at some stage in our lives to someone that has irked us...

Forse...

ETA.

In case anyone is having difficulty with the Agenzia delle Entrate website, here is the statement they have issued regarding the situation:

Elenchi contribuenti, sospesa consultazione online
per delucidazioni al Garante della Privacy

Nei giorni scorsi l’Agenzia delle Entrate ha predisposto e inviato a ciascun Comune mediante sistemi telematici, i relativi elenchi nominativi dei contribuenti che hanno presentato le dichiarazioni dei redditi e dell’imposta sul valore aggiunto relative all’anno d’imposta 2005. Gli elenchi sono stati resi pubblici ai sensi dell’articolo 69 del Dpr 600 del 1973 e dell’articolo 66 bis del Dpr 633 del 1972.

A causa dell’elevato numero di accessi al sito dell’Agenzia ed al fine di fornire ulteriori delucidazioni al Garante per la protezione dei dati personali, è sospesa la disponibilità degli elenchi nella sezione uffici dell’Agenzia delle Entrate territorialmente competenti del sito internet

[Sally Donaldson]

Thank you Nardini. My Italian isn't nearly good enough to have followed any links in the website.