41.   The underground economy covered in the report primarily involves tax evasion, common in Italy to avoid high labor costs.

42.   Thousands have lost jobs, many entering the underground economy as roving street vendors of everything from lamp stands to chewing gum.

43.   Underground economies tend to flourish in countries which have strict and expensive social security systems like Italy and Germany, the report said.

44.   Vasile said the underground economy has impoverished the country.

45.   And underground economies also hold the risk of sponsoring illegal activities such as drug- and arms-trafficking, he adds.

46.   The president has criticized the statistics minister for not having incorporated data from the large underground economy in the official statistics, Lenain said.

47.   Outside the OECD, they are by and large working in the underground economy, being paid less and lacking social security.

48.   Thailand is pushing for the passage of a bill against money laundering in a bid to root out billions of dirty baht currently circulating through an extensive underground economy.