Interesting. I think bureaucracy in Argentina is far simpler, and professionals to deal with issues are cheaper. The work provided may not always be top notch, but gets the job done. It is mandatory to ask for referrals to get people doings things properly, though. You cannot simply open the yellow book hoping whomever you pick, it will be a safe choice.
Tax on vehicles here is very cheap compared to Italy. We have a tax (bollo) proportional to the power of the vehicle: the more the power, the more the tax. Expensive cars have a supertax (superbollo), such as SUVs, luxury sedans, etc. Car insurance can be cheaper in Italy. I think we paid about €120 for the basic coverage (civil damages) on a new BMW. Here, depending on the exchange rate, we have paid from €12 to €30 per month and for a 20 y.o. car!
We have property (real estate) taxes, but not on the first house if it is used as primary home. If you have a home abroad and live abroad, your Italian property is not considered primary home. You have to bed a resident in that place to benefit of the exemption. Primary home has also some benefit on utilities, but small stuff (I think -10% or something along these lines).
Buying and selling properties in Italy is more expensive than in Argentina: notary fees, real estate fees, taxes... these account for 15% over the purchasing price! I believe in Argentina it is slightly less (about 10%).
I was informed that now Italy taxes foreign bank accounts. It is a small flat tax of about €60-80 per year. Argentina taxes about 1%, I believe. This is really something that feels very unjust to me. One should be able to keep his own money were he want to. Declare it, yes. Pay taxes on it, yes. Paying bank fees to keep it safe, yes. But taxing citizens for not being able to provide the same product in your home country, making them choose a bank institution abroad, feels very unjust.
Bureaucracy for documents (IDs, driving licenses) here is MUCH faster and quite cheaper. In Argentina you can get a document done on the spot or in a matter of 2-3 days. In Italy it takes weeks. The only ID done on the spot is the old paper ID card. If you want the new plastic one you have to wait 7-10 days and it will be mailed to you. Getting a passport takes 2-3 weeks minimum. Some consulates in the US issue Italian passports on the spot or mail it on the next day. Mailing passports in Italy is not available.
Getting or renewing a driving license is also very expensive in Italy. I was just chatting with a friend who lived in Italy for a year, decided to get a DL, and was told that if you use a driving school the exam is 'easier'. So she paid €1000. She was already able to drive, but her Italian wasn't super back then so she was unsure she would be able to pass.
I paid about the same amount (in Liras) 20 years ago. Here in Argentina I paid maybe €15 and in three days I had the DL in my hand.
Also, bureaucracy in Argentina offers informative websites, you can email offices for information and get a reply in 24 hours. In Italy, office hide email addresses to avoid having to reply. Or they reply after days. By law, they have 60 days to reply to email, too, now.
In Italy there is no online procedure to guide you through a process (wizards) like here, you don't get a barcode to pay in a quiosco. Instead, you have to go the post office and fill in a payment slip with the details of the recipient entity, the amount, etc.
For the DL alone, there are 2 o3 taxes to pay, all to different entities (local level, regional level, state level), so you need three payment slips, and to pay for three transactions (€1,50x3). It is the middle age!
As for safety, in smaller town I agree with Splinter. In bigger towns (like Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence) it is safer than here but not Swiss-safe, especially in certain areas at night.
Still a kid here!
