§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate of the yearly cost of the black economy; and what percentage of the total economy this represents.
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to his reply, 28 April 1982, c. 278]: The nature of the black economy is such that it is not possible to make any firm estimate of its size or of the yield of taxation forgone.