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Comment by iso1631 | Hacker News Reader

If I pay a bribe or facilitation payment to the local warlord, I, personally, break laws in my own country.

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"

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> not tipping

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.

why though would anyone choose that option when the other option is also free, don't offer service for payment optional.

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 ...

> that it's implicitly understood you will pay them

Clearly isn't. If you want the money, put it on the bill - add it as a service charge or whatever.

> The great thing is I don't feel guilty about not tipping in the US.

Wow, that is a real stretch of logic, and a great way to make wait staff hate you

The US are probably the only country where tipping makes sense, because it is kind of recognized by law (i.e. waiters have no minimum salary, because it is assumed they would make most of their money from tips).

In every other country a tip is indeed just a bribe.

I get that, but if GGP is not from the US then it is incredibly rude to come into the country with that kind of attitude. And if they are from the US, then it makes them look even worse.

You wrote: <<waiters have no minimum salary>>. This is untrue. It varies from area to area. I don't know of any areas where there is no minimum wages for wait staff. (Please correct me if wrong.)

Not tipping in the US is a detestable position to defend. Not compensating workers according to their customs because of your foreign ideology? What do you have to say?

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.

Could their employers not just pay them a reasonable wage? I’m already likely to be overpaying for the food/drinks being served which is supposed to cover the business overheads, if it doesn’t you have a failing business.

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.

Waiters are officials now?

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