[napolux]

It usually works more like:

  - we want 1.4B, but it will take 10 years in courts
  - best I can do is 800M (or even lower)
  - ok, we'll take it

source: I'm italian and many tech giants did this already. Apple opened an academy in Naples too.

[epolanski]

Not only tech giants, everybody from celebrities to random Joes can get away with it.

My mother's husband owed 70k+ EUR in taxes and at some point the judge proposed and he agreed to 2800 euros.

The trick is to not have a bank account in your name only, you have it joint with a child/spouse and they can't take your money. Nor they can take your house, if you only have one.

Eventually under those situations the judges try to take anything rather than nothing.

I'm not defending this situation, just saying it's widespread and the fact that every two governments come one that does a "condono", which is essentially "let's agree with tax evaders for some 50% of the tax they owe so they are happy and we see something" doesn't help.

Harsher punishment should be warranted, but you can't go to prison for tax evasion.

[darkwater]

> The trick is to not have a bank account in your name only, you have it joint with a child/spouse and they can't take your money.

Yes they can take 100% of your part of that bank account which amounts at total / # of owners.

[louiskottmann]

The trick is in the mud between what's yours and what's theirs. The induced doubt is lucrative.

[darkwater]

It's pretty clear. If you have your bank account with 2 owners, and with X on it, X/2 are yours and X/2 belong to the other owner, at any point in time. Case in point, if one of the owners deceases, you can withdraw X/2 at most. The other half is blocked until the inheritance paperwork is completed and that half has a new legal owner(s).

[sheiyei]

You 100% should be able to go to prison from tax evasion. Not to fill prisons just to line prison owners' pockets like in the US, but definitely have the possibility for egregious offences.

[epolanski]

> You 100% should be able to go to prison from tax evasion.

I said can't, not shouldn't.

In any case I'd still say it's arguable if the punishment matches the crime, I'm not saying I'm against it but I don't fully buy it either.

In Italy we have two law codes: criminal and civil. You can't go to prison for civil offenses like tax evasion in our system.

[keeganpoppen]

you can… it’s just not really clear that anyone does. that said, i think if you polled the average joe on the street, they would overwhelmingly say that you can, which is probably a net gain for society.