The issue has been sensitive for American companies because other countries, including France, Japan and Italy, only recently began prosecuting corporate bribes to foreign officials. Until a decade ago, bribes were tax deductible in many European countries.
I read that twice. I had to make sure I was reading right. Well, by know you all know that I'm currently working in the telecommunications industry. I started in this company working for one of the most corrupted of branches: mobile. And yes, in a time when the country borders wash over and the Operators with the right amount of money and connections can step over them and clutter the world with their brand, many tools are considered and used in order to secure a market slice for them to grow and pump out more money. It does sound outrageous that bribes could be "tax deductible" for "bribery" is an illegal, immoral behavior. People should not offer it, nor accept it. But this is the world we live in.
Once again, this quotation was taken from a news paper, so possibly there's an "interpretation" matter involved. For instance, perhaps it could be that the legislation makes tax deductible the donations, and as such, they do not have the mechanisms needed to make sure those donations are indeed donations, and not masked briberies. It is not a matter, necessarily, of a corrupt system, but perhaps only an old, naive legal system. It's not necessarily as it appears in the paper, though, then again, it could be so.
Now, reinforcing laws against bribery, even abroad (overseas) is not nearly enough of the Government is trying to cut down the levels of corruption spreading across the world. First of all, I find it terribly unsuiting that the U.S. would prosecute enterprises bribing governments or enterprises overseas. The U.S. should reinforce the law WITHIN the U.S. and leave the corruption happening in other countries to those other countries. The lack of moral fiber in American companies is a cultural, ethical FLAW. Prosecuting overseas misbehavior won't correct it, only force them to bribe through other methods, such as through investment, or by establishing foreign bogus enterprises in charge of giving away the bribe money. For instance, if I were an American enterprise and I wanted to bribe some foreign governments, I would establish a charity enterprise,... let's say "Child Aid" or something like in... Timbuktu or Bali, Madagascar, Antilles, or some country with no rigid laws about it (I do not know the laws in those countries, I was just naming exotic countries). I would keep cash flowing into this "bribery account" and then, when I need to make a "payment", this foundation would "help out" this given government with a "donation to aid children". Now, I'm not actively working on fraud or anything, so if I can think of this, what could come up with the enterprises actually interested in bribing? Pushing this overseas, the prosecution, I believe is nothing but an invasive intervention of the laws of other countries.
Lets take the case of the sportbidding. Gambling is illegal in the US. Well, Internet gambling. So these enterprises went overseas and established their companies outside, (Sportbooks), the employ people from these countries to do something it is not illegal in their country, and then, suddenly, the American Government falls on them because there are American's putting their money in these overseas based enterprises' sites. In a day, 5000 people was out in the street, jobless, not understanding what has happened, and then, some where even arrested, shipped to the U.S. and prosecuted as criminals for something is not illegal for them. It's not like they didn't know it was illegal (in which case they can't plead not knowing the law), but it's not illegal for them. It's almost as if an Arab men were deported to the U.S. and prosecuted because he married two women after he had married and American, converted woman who lives with him in ... some Jordania, BUT she e-mails to her folks in... Virginia. Or as if an American man were deported to... I dunno, Syria and prosecuted because he's gay and got together with a Syrian man.
It's fine and nice to be concerned about the world outside our boundaries, BUT trespassing those boundaries is not wise. With help, yes, with counseling, diplomacy, yes, but the Law should always remain within the limits of the country for we never know on which sensibilities one might be stepping.
I hope the U.S. Goverment stars practicing a bit of introspection, humbleness before more aggression and danger comes upon the world. I think we have already enough anger and war. It's time to work on peace, trust and understanding.
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