§ Mr. Skeetasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the size of the black economy; and what action has been taken since 1979 to diminish its impact.
§ Mr. RidleyI do not believe it is possible to make any accurate estimate of the size of the black economy and I am not impressed by any estimates that I have seen. Both Revenue Departments have kept their procedures for the prevention and detection of tax evasion under constant review as well as redeploying staff so as to increase the number employed in the specialised investigation units.