Outgoing Italian government’s tax site says ‘Fuck you very much’ to all Italian voters
I am not sure what the outgoing Italian government was thinking of when they decided to publish the income of every Italian citizen through the Internet.
Of course, we are talking about politicians here, so there might not be any reasoning at all behind this act. Governments base their decisions hardly ever on anything that has even a passing acquaintance with rationality - or even reality.
Their policies are mostly based on a combination of popularism, fear, and the vulgar need to be seen as ’strong’. The study of politics might be a (weak) science but the politician’s instincts and actions are not informed by reason but by various superstitions ‘du jour.’
Having said all that, I suspect, like the author of the following article, that this fine example of policy making is more than a little bit informed by the ’sore loser’ principle.
Pathetic playground policies? Well, yes, but then we are talking about politicians, you know - and they are rather pathetic creatures. Pathologically so, I’m afraid:
The incomes of every Italian citizen were published on the web without any prior warning by the government, just days before it was due to leave power.
Claiming it was part of a crackdown on tax evasion, the finance ministry yesterday put details of the declared taxable income of every citizen on the country’s tax website. The site proved hugely popular. Surprised Italians, delighted at the chance to find out how much their neighbours, colleagues, and high-profile celebrities were earning, bombarded the site within hours of it going live.
Critics condemned the publication, however, saying it was an outrageous breach of privacy as the government did not have consent to make the information public. The treasury finally suspended the website last night after the country’s privacy watchdog issued a formal complaint. The tax minister, Vincenzo Visco, was quoted in Italy’s Corriere della Sera saying: “It’s all about transparency and democracy. I don’t see the problem.”
But the timing of the release of the information has been viewed with scepticism. It was one of the last acts of Prodi’s centre-left government before it leaves office next week, sparking accusations the move was motivated by spite.
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