Counterfeit goods generate 6.5 bn euros

(ANSA) - Rome, September 30 - The Italian market for counterfeit goods generates an annual turnover of 6.5 billion euros, causing losses of 5.3 billion in tax revenues, a government study released Tuesday found.
    Clothing, CDs, software and food products are hit hardest by the phenomenon, according to research based on 2012 data, conducted by the Italian ministry of economic development with the socio-economic research centre Censis.
    Copycat clothing and accessories alone accounted for a turnover of 2.24 billion euros, or 34.3% of the total. CDs, DVDs, and sofware rung up 1.79 billion euros in sales, or 27.3%.
    Knock-off food came in at 1 billion euros, or 15.8%. Had the products been made legally, they would have contributed 17.7 billion euros to the GDP, 6.4 billion euros in added value, and created 105,000 jobs.