Which means that this is the State's hitlist of tax avoiders.
This is tax enforcement pure and simple, and doesn't seem to be a privacy issue. I've never heard of a reasonable defence against not paying tax being "that's my business and not yours", tax enforcement always wins.
Think on the consequences of this.
By the way, in the AirBnB case, you can always have police pretending to rent flats to get the tax offenders. This would protect privacy and scare offenders.
This is despite bank secrecy laws (which only apply in case of tax evasion, but not - fraud).
A big reason is simpleness of the tax declaration, transparency and - overall fairness of the tax code. Even though it's a rather progressive system.
It's a matter of incentives for the individuals, not culture.
Do inform yourself a bit on the topic. It's way more complex than you think.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/world/europe/italy-tries-t...
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/world/europe/italys-new-to...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230375390457745...
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/...
There are people that do not pay taxes, but they are compensated by those who pay. The net effect is actually that the tax burden vs GDP in Italy is higher than in places like, say, Germany.
The reason Italy has a high public debt is not tax evasion, is excessive public spending. The reason many business are failing is not tax evasion, is a crazy tax law that kills many to reward few. That is why many Italian hate taxes, because they are unjust.
You wanted to say "some people", since a third of the people don't pay them (see the Uif research published in 2012). It's a huge number.
Do inform yourself a bit on the topic. It's way more easier than you think.
At least I've seen in a documentary where Italians tell they choose not to pay taxes. If there is a law to pay taxes and people can choose not to pay taxes, then some sort of enforcement has to be done. Especially because Italy's finances are in ruins and as an EU citizen I think it is Italians' responsibility to step up first, not EUs.
Hotels in cities have to obey laws about fire risk and hygiene and noise and etc etc. They have accountable people to take responsibility for their guests.
That could be true for many AirBnB hosts, but there appears to be some who just don't care about the neighbours.
Well I just don't think that's so.
A tremendous number of technically illegal things are routinely ignored, downplayed, or considered low priorities for enforcement. Everybody goes a little over the speed limit; everybody jaywalks; genteel, expensive drug-dealing and prostitution are common enough; domestic violence and abuse in all its permutations is unpunished more often than not; and so on ad nauseam.
Law enforcement is always selective enforcement. There just aren't enough executive resources to do anything else.
The problem with this analysis is that a State also creates these laws and can change them.
However, users data. I don't know, there is a thin line between enforcing the law and not respecting citizens freedom and privacy.
The housing argument, instead, is just ludicrous. Let's put all the hotels in the city out in the suburbs then.