Street vending is the safest form of informal economy, says director general for socio-cultural affairs at Tehran Governor General’s Office. Siavash Shahrivar’s remarks come as the voices of discontent by brick-and-mortar businesses are getting louder over lack of control over street vending in the final days of the current Iranian year (to end March 19). Noting that most street vendors provide the main source of income for their families, Shahrivar said Tehran Governor General’s Office is against cracking down on hawkers since the move would prompt them to get involved with illegal activities such as smuggling. “Like the rest of the world, we should provide the infrastructures for those who want to play by the rules. They should be given identity cards and even pay some form of tax,” IRNA quoted him as saying. The informal economy is the part of an economy that is neither taxed, nor monitored by any form of government. Unlike the formal economy, activities in the informal economy are not included in the gross domestic product.
