The economic value of prostitution, illegal drug sales, and trafficking in contraband cigarettes and alcohol will all be measured by Italy's national statistical agency Istat as it calculates the country's 2014 gross domestic production (GDP), it announced Thursday. Istat said that starting in September, its 2014 economic measurements will include those three areas of illegal activities, in line with methodology being applied in measuring national accounts within the European Union.
– Surprisingly enough, this idea didn't come from Silvio Berlusconi: Italy plans to include things like illegal drug sales, prostitution, and cigarette smuggling in its GDP figures for the first time, immediately giving the size of the economy a big boost, Bloomberg reports. Prime Minister Mario Renzi has pledged to cut the country's deficit to 2.6% of GDP, a target that will be a lot easier to hit when illegal sectors of the economy are included. The European Union's statistical agency has provided guidelines for estimating the contribution of illegal activities to the economy, and the move is expected to add up to 2% to Italy's GDP, ANSA reports. (As for Berlusconi, he's doing community service at a hospice after being convicted of tax fraud.)