'Uproar' in Italy as tax details are published

Date: 2nd May 2008

Millions of Italians were reportedly in uproar this week, after it emerged that their tax details had been posted on the internet.

According to a report by the BBC, the Italian government's tax website was flooded by people trying to find out how much their friends and sporting idols were earning.

The country's treasury is said to have now suspended the site, after it received a complaint from the Italian privacy watchdog.

Vincenzo Visco, the country's deputy economic minister said he could see no problem with making people's tax information public.

"This already exists all around the world, you just have to watch any American soap to see that. We had the system ready by January but we delayed publication to avoid arguments during the election campaign," he commented.

A recent report by Reuters suggested that tax evasion was "rife" in Italy.