EU businesses lose 26 billion euro every year on fake clothes

A new study from the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) shows that sales of fake clothes, shoes and accessories in the EU take over 26 billion euro yearly from legitimate EU businesses.

This translates into 363,000 fewer jobs since the legitimate producers and retailers earn and sell less, and thus employ fewer workers.

When indirect effects on suppliers are taken into account, the numbers increase.

Furthermore, since producers and sellers of fakes pay no tax, social contributions or VAT, over 8 billion euro of government revenue is not collected.