Mexicans paid $2.58 billion in bribes last year, study saysMEXICO CITY — The poll found that while more people are giving out bribes, the average bribe was smaller: about $13, compared to $17 in 2005. Smaller bribes include those shelled out to avoid traffic tickets or pay off informal "parking attendants," private citizens who block off sections of public streets and force drivers to "tip" them for giving them a space. The attendants, in turn, pay police for the right to operate.
Corruption is so rooted and pervasive in Mexican culture that many people see nothing wrong with it. A continuum runs from tipping a waiter to bribing a politician, with no clear line separating what's acceptable and what's not. Bribes move about 10 percent of all government transactions — including those to obtain construction licenses, vehicle inspection stickers and street-vending permits.
Among the top 10 most frequent bribes people reported paying were to city tanker trucks that deliver drinking water to homes in poorer neighborhoods. Others paid to get their trash collected, their goods passed through customs and their cars out of police lots after they were towed. The sixth most common type of bribe, according to the study? Money given to investigators to ensure they file crime reports.
