As an aside, and I can only speak for Berlin here, there is an almost accepted level of “black economy” in Berlin, especially in the night and hospitality sectors. The authorities seem to turn a blind eye to it as it keep the economic wheels turning. If you really take the piss, they will come down on you, as did happen to one person I know of, keep it to an acceptable level and you should be okay.Tax fraud amongst the wealthy and businesses in Germany is a huge thing, far bigger than the UK. Much of this was revealed in the Luxembourg, Panama and Swiss information leaks. On top of the following data, Germany recently lost another €31b to a dividends tax fraud carried out by its business shareholders, it would’ve made the news.
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Rich Germans and French loath paying taxes too, many criminally so.