I suspect our friend means Value Added Tax, rather than income tax.

Sorry... I meant VAT and custom duties


Although why, in a country with manufacturing as sophisticated as Italy's
obviously is, there is no source for such materials locally, is beyond me.

Surely they exist, but not in a B2C market. Unfortunately hobbyists are
not considered a valuable target here, so raw materials are hard to find
in small quantities and, in general, for individuals.
Actually the same holds also for wood essences, veneers and whatever you
like.

Bye,
Luciano