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The economics of corruption
The Editor, Sir:
Fighting corruption in the traditional moral and ethical manner over the decades has apparently failed. Many leaders have tried to tackle this problem using guilt, shame, ethics and high moral standards as weapons, all ending in utter failure.
My experience in dealing with people has taught me that unless a serious problem like corruption is understood in terms of dollars and cents, people tend not to act as quickly or decisively as they should. Hence, my proposal to the people of this great nation is to think of the problem of corruption not in terms of ethics, but in terms of its economic impact on our nation's infrastructure.
When corrupt civil servants ask service-seeking citizens for money to perform the services they are entitled to, and that the civil servants themselves are being paid to do, the entire nation suffers. Let me explain.
We often hear otherwise law-abiding citizens complain daily about the deplorable state of the country's infrastructure: bad roads, water shortages, poor sanitation, cramped and less-than-ideal government service facilities, and other infrastructure and service sectors that are necessary for modern life to exist are in shambles.
Taxes
In a democratic law-abiding nation, where the rule of law and personal property rights are viewed by most, if not all, as paramount to growth and development and vital for investment, individuals pay fees to the government for certain services like driver's licences, passports, air and seaport services, vehicle registration, as well as fines for traffic and other civil violations.
These funds, combined with other forms of revenues like taxes, go toward salaries for government workers, road and infrastructure development and maintenance, and a host of other services any modern democratic society expects its government to provide.
When citizens pay these corrupt civil servants for the services they are to provide anyway, it helps tremendously in depriving the government of the necessary revenue to provide the services these same people are complaining that they lack.
Many law-abiding people pay these 'sweetie' monies to bypass the heavy bureaucratic layers and the long, snaking lines they must endure to get their business done.
Many, due to mistrust and fear of the police, may choose to go 'left' and pay the police not to write them a ticket for traffic violations. Many simply do it out of ignorance, oblivious to the damage they are doing the nation. Whatever the reason, we simply cannot afford to pay corruption money to circumvent the lawful processes. We are hurting ourselves.
Services
Let us look at this from another angle. The Government provides services to its citizens from the revenue it receives. Since taxes are not being paid on these pay-off monies, the corrupt individual temporarily benefits, but the whole Jamaica suffers in the long term. When funds are in short supply, the government simply raises taxes and fees.
My solution to this problem of corruption is one of pure economics. The corrupt workers demand 'sweetie' money; the people supply it. To combat this, we must cut the supply and the demand will eventually fade. It sounds simple enough, but it will take every law-abiding patriot of this great nation to do his or her part.
Yes, this will mean long lines at government service facilities and longer waiting times at service windows. However, a little discomfort now will mean a better Jamaica for our children and a nation full of world-class law-loving citizens. What do we have to lose? We have tried the moral and ethical road without success. Let us try the economic one.
I am, etc.,
STOKELY S. SADDLER
saddler767yahoo.com
Kingston8
Via Go-Jamaica
The Editor, Sir:
Fighting corruption in the traditional moral and ethical manner over the decades has apparently failed. Many leaders have tried to tackle this problem using guilt, shame, ethics and high moral standards as weapons, all ending in utter failure.
My experience in dealing with people has taught me that unless a serious problem like corruption is understood in terms of dollars and cents, people tend not to act as quickly or decisively as they should. Hence, my proposal to the people of this great nation is to think of the problem of corruption not in terms of ethics, but in terms of its economic impact on our nation's infrastructure.
When corrupt civil servants ask service-seeking citizens for money to perform the services they are entitled to, and that the civil servants themselves are being paid to do, the entire nation suffers. Let me explain.
We often hear otherwise law-abiding citizens complain daily about the deplorable state of the country's infrastructure: bad roads, water shortages, poor sanitation, cramped and less-than-ideal government service facilities, and other infrastructure and service sectors that are necessary for modern life to exist are in shambles.
Taxes
In a democratic law-abiding nation, where the rule of law and personal property rights are viewed by most, if not all, as paramount to growth and development and vital for investment, individuals pay fees to the government for certain services like driver's licences, passports, air and seaport services, vehicle registration, as well as fines for traffic and other civil violations.
These funds, combined with other forms of revenues like taxes, go toward salaries for government workers, road and infrastructure development and maintenance, and a host of other services any modern democratic society expects its government to provide.
When citizens pay these corrupt civil servants for the services they are to provide anyway, it helps tremendously in depriving the government of the necessary revenue to provide the services these same people are complaining that they lack.
Many law-abiding people pay these 'sweetie' monies to bypass the heavy bureaucratic layers and the long, snaking lines they must endure to get their business done.
Many, due to mistrust and fear of the police, may choose to go 'left' and pay the police not to write them a ticket for traffic violations. Many simply do it out of ignorance, oblivious to the damage they are doing the nation. Whatever the reason, we simply cannot afford to pay corruption money to circumvent the lawful processes. We are hurting ourselves.
Services
Let us look at this from another angle. The Government provides services to its citizens from the revenue it receives. Since taxes are not being paid on these pay-off monies, the corrupt individual temporarily benefits, but the whole Jamaica suffers in the long term. When funds are in short supply, the government simply raises taxes and fees.
My solution to this problem of corruption is one of pure economics. The corrupt workers demand 'sweetie' money; the people supply it. To combat this, we must cut the supply and the demand will eventually fade. It sounds simple enough, but it will take every law-abiding patriot of this great nation to do his or her part.
Yes, this will mean long lines at government service facilities and longer waiting times at service windows. However, a little discomfort now will mean a better Jamaica for our children and a nation full of world-class law-loving citizens. What do we have to lose? We have tried the moral and ethical road without success. Let us try the economic one.
I am, etc.,
STOKELY S. SADDLER
saddler767yahoo.com
Kingston8
Via Go-Jamaica