[RobertoG]

Because they want to control the price.

Why they want to control the price?

My perception is that the Italian society feel that they should have a minimum wage. In other words, that market forces shouldn't be allowed to push the wages below a minimum. As taxis operate as little business and not as standard employees, they can't control that minimum directly, so they control the supply.

Is that the right decision? I have no idea, but, I defend their right to go with it.

[muninn_]

But taxis aren't controlling the supply, the government is. Has the government done any analysis into their decision here? How do they know that wages won't rise as a result of cheaper and more frequent trips, for example? What if people who left the taxi industry went on to more productive things? Will the government also ban self-driving vehicles?

Nobody is questioning whether an elected official or government bureaucracy has the "right" to make the decision, it's clear they do. What is being questioned directly is the morality of the decision and whether this is a good decision.

It would be great if you stopped this "I defend their right to do this" commentary because it's not relevant to the conversation and distracts from what we're actually talking about.

[RobertoG]

How do they arrive to the current number of licenses? Sorry, beyond my knowledge. What are they going to do in the future? The same.

When "I defend their right to do this", I don't mean only in a legal sense, but in a moral one, which, in your own words, is being questioned here.

I think that they have a moral right because they are the expression of aggregate preferences of the Italian society through their democratic institutions. I realize that, probably, you don't share this view.

Is this a good decision? Well, you have to define good first. Good for who? We should assume is good enough for Italians that allow it. As I said before, they are expressing their aggregate preferences.

[muninn_]

But I'm not questioning their right to do this, I'm questioning the action itself. These are separate. I'm sorry if I've given you the impression then that I was questioning the right in the Italian democratic society to take this action.

I take issue with the action itself, because I question the motives and the reasoning behind it, in that, it's likely just political and no forethought has gone into the consequences.

Assuming an action is good because it is allowed is a poor assumption.