**Time for a thread**

Through the last three years of experience in the entrepreneurship space, I understood why phenomenons like

- black money
- hawala
- money laundering
- tax fraud
- overclaiming of tax returns
- not reporting income

and other such scenarios exist.

1/ Running a business, especially with all the licenses and the jazz is like standing in a traffic signal.

The signal may still be red. But if vehicles have started moving, they will keep honking and hurling abuses at you for not moving and breaking the rules along with you.

2/ The corrupt system begets corruption.

The government employees seek bribe for every single thing that they are being paid to do as work.

If you don't pay them, your business will not get set up.

If you don't pay what they ask for, they will point out hundred issues.

3/ So, the base for corruption gets set up when you start your business.

You unwittingly become an accomplice to the systemic corruption.

If you don't bribe, your business won't get off the ground and you can't make money.

So, you are cornered to have to pay a bribe.

4/ Now, your business gets off the ground. But you have to get loan to set it up.

You go to MSME. They get you the loan. They also provide subsidy relief.

The catch: The officer asks you to pay 10-15% of subsidy as "formality" to ministers and the chain of command.