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Article: Paraguay's informal economy.
- Article from:
- Market Latin America
- Article date:
- October 1, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Media Contact Resources, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The variety and quantity of consumer goods available in Paraguay rivals that of nations developed to a much higher degree. Two points: First, a vast quantity of these goods are counterfeit. Second, few Paraguayans have the disposable income to afford even the imported fake brands.
For some time, Paraguay has been known as a conduit for counterfeit branded goods destined for other countries in South America. An April 2005 report by the World Trade Organization (WTO) remarks that the value of imports and exports is "approximately equivalent to the nominal value of GDP." The report further observes "there is a considerable amount of unrecorded trade," in other words ...