There is a story about the new book, Stealth of Nations by Robert Neuwirth, here:
More than half of all employed people worldwide work off the books. And that number is expected to climb over the next decade.
"Estimates are that the informal economy around the world is [worth] about $10 trillion a year," says journalist Robert Neuwirth. "That's an astounding figure because what it means, basically, is that if the informal economy was combined in one country, it would be the second-largest economy on Earth, rivaling the United States economy."
At a tax rate of 25 percent, which is what the US budget, if we had one, effectively requires because we are spending $3.8 trillion per year in a $15 trillion economy, worldwide we are talking lost tax revenue of $2.5 trillion.
