Website briefly spills the beans on Italian earnings

ITALY: Italians were surprised and, in some cases, outraged to discover yesterday their income levels were available for public viewing on an internet site.

As part of a crackdown on tax evasion, the outgoing centre-left government made public every citizen's declared taxable income on the state's tax website, a decision attacked by consumer groups and some politicians.

Later yesterday, the Italian treasury suspended the website after it received a formal complaint from Italy's privacy watchdog.

In the few hours the site was operational - at www.agenziaentrate.gov.it - it was overrun by Italians curious to know how much other people were earning.

Leading daily Corriere della Sera said the site was "a delicious opportunity to find out with a click how much your neighbour or colleague or, for gossip fans, celebrities earn".

"It's a clear violation of privacy law," said consumer group ADOC. "A danger for an increase in crime and violence as the data are an irresistible source for criminals." ADOC said the fact that tax return forms do not include a request for consent to the data being published means their appearance on the internet was clearly illegal.

Tax evasion is rife in Italy and both incoming prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and the man he succeeds, Romano Prodi (of the centre left), promised combating tax cheats would help plug a hole in the budget.

Mr Prodi's tax minister, Vincenzo Visco, often dubbed "Dracula" by detractors, said the website was meant to go live in January. - (Reuters)

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times