it might have something to do with the fact that a few years ago there was a tax amnesty for many Italians.....you declared it then or now have to explain where the money came from. There was a lot of money that left the country when there were/are worries about the EURO collapse etc. The government is probably simply saying - if you now want to bring it back, you need to explain where it came from and that it was previously properly taxed. (When Europeans arrived in London buying houses for cash it had to come from somewhere) IMHO - If you approach the tax authorities as simply a business and that they act in a business like manner protecting their patch then most explanations a fairly simple.
Not everyone is a business....some italian guy in new york who wants to send $1000 to his 80 year old granny because she needs medicine, that she has to now go down to the government offices and fill out some paperwork to get a refund(that will probably take 2 months to get it)
that just tells you that its inefficient for some. Like most things implemented there are unintended consequences that are either an extra cost on a business, or simply a complete hassle for the individual. Do you think that other businesses also make it easy for individual grannies - ever read a standard contract these days! The tax office is the business, they dont care about your individual circumstances, their business is in collecting what their country deems due (no one cares about the debate of right or wrong). In this case I suggest its because they have come up with a solution that suits them.