While Greece appears as a "laggard" in most EU and international indexes measuring salaries, incomes and purchasing power, among others, other data measuring the so-called "shadow economy" and tax returns to an "iceberg-like" image. According to figures released by Greece's independent tax authority (AADE or IAPR), a sizable number of self-employed professionals and service-oriented shop owners annually report losses, even in the face of rising turnover and consistent commercial activity. Tax bureau cross-checking, which of late has included AI technology, located thousands of instances of taxpayers declaring losses and paltry monthly incomes while at the same time spending and racking up expenses that multiple times more their declared means. For instance, seven out of 10 bar owners report annual losses; one in two food-and-beverage establishment owners also report losses amid a booming tourism sector and the "mushrooming" use of...