I think this hits the nail on the head. Wealth is protected by a vast array of national and international laws and institutions - everything from protection of

I think this hits the nail on the head. Wealth is protected by a vast array of national and international laws and institutions - everything from protection of intellectual property to the technicalities of making sure that you and I can't both own the same piece of property at the same time. In return for this, it's not unreasonable for national governments to require more transparency in terms of who owns what. (By the by, I think the real reason this doesn't happen is the obvious suspicion that it could lead to more progressive forms of taxation, e.g. wealth taxes.)