Tax farming, Chinese style

Apparently there is at least one city in China where people routinely litter, spit in public and break traffic laws (oh Shaoyang, you know I'm talking about you). This particular city was also short of employees and cash to fight the problems.

Their solution? Hire 1000 senior citizens to patrol the streets and LET THEM KEEP 80% of the ticket revenue they generate?

Can anyone guess what happened?

Yep, those lucky seniors wrote a mountain of tickets.

Can anyone guess who's mad?

Yep, the scofflaws.

I love this quote:

?Many of us depend on motorcycles to get around, but they?re now giving us tickets for not wearing a helmet, for not having insurance, or for not carrying our licenses,? complained the clerk, who would give only her surname, Li. ?None of us dare drive our motorcycles anymore ? it?s just too risky.?

Apparently, complying with the laws is just totally out of the question?

The only thing the city did wrong here was that they are paying the seniors $70 some dollars a month. They should have auctioned off the positions, making people pay up front for the right to write tickets and keep 80% of the revenue.

Source: http://mungowitzend.blogspot.com/2012/09/tax-farming-chinese-style.html

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