Italy to use Facebook to catch tax cheats
Social network to spot conspicuous spending
21 March, 16:58
(ANSA) - Milan - Italy's state tax agency is set to use Facebook to investigate tax evasion, agency deputy director Marco Di Capua has said.
Di Capua explained that the tax agency will check Facebook and other social networks to spot suspicious, conspicuous spending beyond taxpayers' declared financial means.
"Beyond the Big Brother myth, attention will be paid to income consumed. And every instrument that can lead to information will be used, whether it is called Facebook or whether it is a registration with or membership to an exclusive club," explained Di Capua. "The aim is to focus attention on how the subject spends, not for the fact that he spends but to see if he has declared (his income)".
The tax agency also intends to open its own Facebook presence to offer law-abiding taxpayers a new means of assistance with their filings.
"By necessity, we have focused before others on technological innovation. We need to use cutting-edge tools to offer a service that is increasingly more effective for taxpayers," Di Capua explained. "There was talk about Facebook - a public administration cannot close itself off. The Agency wants to be as close as possible in terms of assistance to the taxpayers".
Plunging into online social networks is part of a larger campaign to modernize tax collection methods. Thanks to automated audit systems, contributions from self-employed workers rose 10% in 2010 over the previous year, according to an Il Sole 24 Ore report.
Stepped-up vigilance has also helped Italy traverse lean economic years lately. Improved tax-collection efforts helped personal income tax revenues remain firm in 2009 at 146.4 bn euros despite an overall decline in the tax base. Moneys recovered from anti-evasion enforcement were particularly relevant, leaping 32% over the previous year, from 6.8bn to 9.1bn euros. Enforcement recoveries rose again in 2010 to 10.5bn.
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