HC Deb 26 April 2004 vol 420 c757W
Brian Cotter

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of how much revenue has been lost by the Exchequer as a result of the shadow economy in each year since 1997. [167511]

Dawn Primarolo

There is no reliable overall estimate of the revenue lost as a result of the shadow economy. Lord Grabiner in his review of the hidden economy and the OECD's Centre for Tax Policy and Administration have both concluded that it is a concept difficult if not impossible to measure. The Revenue continues to monitor new developments in this area.