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A shoe-repair store: the cash-in-hand sector is growing even as the rest of the economy shrinks (Photo: Joseph Smith)

Recession spurs growth in EU 'shadow economy'

While just about every part of Europe's economy is shrinking in the current recession, one sector - the black market - has started to grow, according to fresh research in Austria.

The "shadow economy" - which includes untaxed trade in goods and services, such as cash-in-hand construction work or car repairs, but excludes serious crime such as illegal drugs and prostitution - is predicted to expand by 0.3 to 0.9 percent this year in 14 rich EU states, which are also members of the OECD....

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

A shoe-repair store: the cash-in-hand sector is growing even as the rest of the economy shrinks (Photo: Joseph Smith)

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Author Bio

Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.

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