Someone asked me the obvious question in private mail...

...

Perhaps not. Its very common in many large business conducted here in New York in certain seemingly legitimate industries for much of the business to be conducted off the books -- people who will take cash for work are sought after. I will not name the industry in question, but it is one of the few major ones left in the city and it isn't finance.

Politics?

Politics also involves some of that, but it wasn't what I was refering to. The answer to the question is the garment industry. Huge underground factories and design shops operate on a completely cash basis. Millions of dollars of goods enter in to the system "mysteriously". There are "sweatshops" (read, free market factories) operating all over the city in concealed locations. They are almost always operated by the Chinese -- they have a code of silence about such things. Its one of the few things thats keeping the economy in NYC going. This operates on a HUGE scale. Its a counterexample to Hal's beliefs about industry and taxation. Perry