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The thing is, you have laws and tax laws and, for how unjust they might seem, a State has to enforce them, full stop. However, users data. I don't know, there
by kfk 13y ago
The thing is, you have laws and tax laws and, for how unjust they might seem, a State has to enforce them, full stop.
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.
- buro9 13y agoUsers in this context are AirBNBs users, those letting their apartments short-term. 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.
- kfk 13y agoIn Italy tax authorities have grown more and more powerful during the last years. At some point, they were suggesting checking all personal bank accounts and expenditures. 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.
- Xylakant 13y agoOr - gasp - AirBnB could collect and pay the tax on behalf of the flat owner. That would protect privacy and eliminate offenders.
- sitkack 13y agoBut then AirBnB couldn't keep riding the ridiculous gravy train it is on. They are just front loading their bank account while claiming "this a new emerging market that we are all trying to figure out." at the expense of all users in the system.
- Fomite 13y agoPretending taxes are someone else's problem is a grand dotcom tradition.
- triplesec 13y agoNobody in Italy pays tax, which is why their finances are almost as bad as Greece's. And then there's ologarchs like Berlusconi, and the MAfia. Makes law requirements different
- kfk 13y agoThis is absolutely not true. People pay taxes in Italy, actually, they have one of the highest tax burden in the world. Do inform yourself a bit on the topic. It's way more complex than you think.
- dangerscarf 13y agoThe issue isn't the tax burden, it's high rate of tax evasion. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/world/europe/italy-tries-to-raise-the-social-stigma-on-tax-evasion.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/25/world/europe/italy-tries-t... http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/world/europe/italys-new-tool-for-tax-cheats-the-redditometro.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/world/europe/italys-new-to... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303753904577450572381475782.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230375390457745...
- kfk 13y agoIt's both: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2221.html 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.
- triplesec 13y agothat's reasonable analysis, and my initila argument was deliberately simplisitc just to make a point, rather than to complexify Italian taxation systems. You and your interlocutors among you seem to have covered this nicely for anyone who was interested in the details (which I didn't have time for).
- jzzskijj 13y agoIn Italy tax authorities have grown more and more powerful during the last years. At some point, they were suggesting checking all personal bank accounts and expenditures. 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.
- DanBC 13y ago> The housing argument, instead, is just ludicrous. Let's put all the hotels in the city out in the suburbs then. 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.
- baddox 13y ago> The thing is, you have laws and tax laws and, for how unjust they might seem, a State has to enforce them, full stop. The problem with this analysis is that a State also creates these laws and can change them.
- Lagged2Death 13y agoThe thing is, you have laws and tax laws and, for how unjust they might seem, a State has to enforce them, full stop. 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.