The State Statistics Committee said that unofficial economy in Azerbaijan does not exceed 18- 20%, Trend reports. Arif Veliyev, the Chairman of the Committee, said at a news conference dedicated to results of 2006 that the official registration of shadow economy is not carried out in Azerbaijan, but cut in the amount is observed. At the same time he does not agree upon the statements of the international organizations, who suggest that the shadow economy in Azerbaijan ranges between 40%-50%.
Usually, the biggest amount of unofficial economy is observed in case of illegal production of arms and drugs. The first is excluded, while the latter is observed in small volumes, he said.
The Committee Chairman said that the registration of unofficial economy is difficult due to the absence of official data on tutorship and bread production. The State Committee appealed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for technical assistance in the application of new national accounts for the registration of unofficial economy. Special observation and expert calculation are required for calculation of the unofficial economy and assistance from the international experts was requested in this respect.