The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) yesterday published proposals aimed at clamping down on the black economy in the sector.

This is estimated to be worth up to €6 billion annually. 

The proposals were outlined during an Oireachtas Committee meeting on how nixers, or cash-in-hand jobs, are damaging legitimate operators in the construction industry.

A nixer is the term for a job done where the bill does not include tax, normally VAT. The name derives from the Latin 'Nix' which translates as 'nothing'.