Lithuanian Prime Minister wants law-enforcement, tax bodies step up fight against shadow economy

VILNIUS - Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis wants the country's tax and law-enforcement authorities to step up their fight against the shadow economy.

"The police, the Financial Crime Investigation Service, the Customs, the Tax Inspectorate -- these bodies have to more substantially and actively contribute to curbing the shadow economy. Today we do not see the breakthrough we expect," he said on the Ziniu Radijas radio station on Thursday.

The government next month plans to publish analytical data on the scale of the shadow economy.

"Many people today complain, cry and live under the cover of their small-sized businesses showing that they earn minimum wages, but we see is a completely different situation and society must be informed about this," Skvernelis said.

Estimates of the size of the shadow economy in Lithuania vary between 15 percent and 30 percent.