That's an interesting observation, and it's possible to see how different cultures deal with anonymity. For a Brazilian, giving out a personal ID for (almost) anybody is a matter of fact.
In Brazil we have a tax number (CPF) and one or more personal ID numbers (state police RG, federal drivers license, passport, etc) which are roughly on the same level regarding personal identification, but which don't matter for tax purposes.
It is mandatory to give your CPF to merchants when they have to invoice the customer, as you (or your CPF) will be one of the parties in that commercial contract. In the case the customer is present in a retail transaction, the retailer can just give you an anonymous receipt. In some states, the customer can give their CPF in order to get some tax refunds.
In either case, an electronic copy of the invoice is sent to the government to account for the taxes, and the invoice must detail exactly what was traded between merchant and customer.
Besides all that, usually you have to identify yourself with both CPF and a personal ID, perhaps leaving a photocopy of both documents, as the CPF number just says you are a taxable personal entity, but it doesn't positively identify a person, as the tax authorities doesn't store any biometric information. The polices (state and federal), on the other hand, have photos, signatures and fingerprints.
In Brazil we have a tax number (CPF) and one or more personal ID numbers (state police RG, federal drivers license, passport, etc) which are roughly on the same level regarding personal identification, but which don't matter for tax purposes.
It is mandatory to give your CPF to merchants when they have to invoice the customer, as you (or your CPF) will be one of the parties in that commercial contract. In the case the customer is present in a retail transaction, the retailer can just give you an anonymous receipt. In some states, the customer can give their CPF in order to get some tax refunds.
In either case, an electronic copy of the invoice is sent to the government to account for the taxes, and the invoice must detail exactly what was traded between merchant and customer.
Besides all that, usually you have to identify yourself with both CPF and a personal ID, perhaps leaving a photocopy of both documents, as the CPF number just says you are a taxable personal entity, but it doesn't positively identify a person, as the tax authorities doesn't store any biometric information. The polices (state and federal), on the other hand, have photos, signatures and fingerprints.