Sometimes parts of the world expect "under the table" payments to get things moving.
Of course, Ericsson did get FCPA sanctioned for other stuff since they paid kickbacks etc. It’s actually quite fascinating. The real victim here is the foreign state that is suffering from the corruption but US law protects them. I suppose it’s anti-trust sort of law. It retains competition for fair-playing US companies.
Definitely an interesting positive-externalities US law.
This even applies if I pay a taxi driver to take me to the site, and he pays the bribe.
If I'm paying a bribe for safety purposes (say giving a bottle of scotch to pass a checkpoint to get back to the hotel before night), then if I'm lucky I won't be prosecuted when I return to my home country.
The great thing is I don't feel guilty about not tipping in the US.
"Facilitation payments, which are payments to induce officials to perform routine functions they are otherwise obligated to perform, are bribes"
Wow, that is a real stretch of logic, and a great way to make wait staff hate you
In every other country a tip is indeed just a bribe.
Not paying people after they perform a service that it's implicitly understood you will pay them for is stealing.
You may not like the particular way in which it's structured, in which case, you're free not to consume the service.
The GP was implying the entire system is dysfunctional. Your counter point is, don't participate in this system. Such type of statement comes typically followed by the likes of go away if you don't like it here. If that's the level of friendliness implied by your service ...
Clearly isn't. If you want the money, put it on the bill - add it as a service charge or whatever.
Sorry if I seem so outraged. I don’t mean to do that on HN. But this is one of most arrogant things I’ve ever read - and a response might help clarify.
I don’t see how any of the above has anything to do with me, the customer.
I would argue US labor/wage policies are the detestable thing to defend.