I agree that low-end corruption is more regressive for the common person, both in that they are more forced to pay up, but also that it comes from a smaller wealth pool.
High-end corruption is lobbying and think-tanks. While low-level bribing is for pettier things like paperwork, the rich and powerful aim to influence public policy to their benefit.
While the common person might not have to visibly participate, these changes affect their lives. Taxes are only progressive by design, but in reality are disproportionately paid by those who can’t afford to evade/game the system. Moreover, the non-rich people are the ones who actually really need the outcomes of tax money.
As more and more of it that is siphoned away by high-level corruption, you end up with decaying infrastructure. This outcome is quite visible in a lot of developed countries now. Another great example are defence budgets that dominate the entire national budget, but primarily funnel money to the rich military-industrial oligarchs, while being used to murder people in “faraway lands”.
I agree that low-end corruption is more regressive for the common person, both in that they are more forced to pay up, but also that it comes from a smaller wealth pool.
High-end corruption is lobbying and think-tanks. While low-level bribing is for pettier things like paperwork, the rich and powerful aim to influence public policy to their benefit.
While the common person might not have to visibly participate, these changes affect their lives. Taxes are only progressive by design, but in reality are disproportionately paid by those who can’t afford to evade/game the system. Moreover, the non-rich people are the ones who actually really need the outcomes of tax money.
As more and more of it that is siphoned away by high-level corruption, you end up with decaying infrastructure. This outcome is quite visible in a lot of developed countries now. Another great example are defence budgets that dominate the entire national budget, but primarily funnel money to the rich military-industrial oligarchs, while being used to murder people in “faraway lands”.