Originally Posted by CyberSEO

Also we have a definition of white and black salary. This means that you officially earn $1000 a month and you/your employer pay taxes of it (white salary), plus to that you get say $4000 in an envelope right to your pocket (black salary). This is why Russians always spent "more" than they "earn". The official salary stats in Russia do not include the most important part of the salary - the black one

P.S. Yes, it's a corruption and a tax evasion, but this is how almost all the companies work here.