Calculating Corruption Costs in the Corporate Sector
Citizens do not realize how much corruption, grand corruption as well as petty corruption, affects their own household budget and savings, and how it determines their expenditure. Most people could account for the bribes they pay for day-to-day activities, but are unaware that their tax money is used unlawfully to grease the hands of corrupt dealers. Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) is trying to address this unawareness about the cost of corruption on household levels, the lack of social activism against corruption, and the lack of information accessible for the public about the cost of corruption. Similarly, the private sector in Sri Lanka loses a considerable quantum of money each year due to corruption. By showing the private sector how corruption is affecting their profit margin, TISL will be able to obtain the support and the commitment of the private sector to the fight against corruption.
As of December 2010 Sri Lanka’s mobile phone subscribers exceeded well over 17 million which accounts for 80% of the population. Mobile phone usage in Sri Lanka is among the highest in South Asia and it is increasingly becoming the popular mode of accessing the internet.
As cost of corruption is an issue that affects the general public as a whole, the entire population could be stated as the target audience of this project. The public will benefit from knowing how much they lose everyday monetarily due to corruption. Through this project an ordinary citizen should be able to calculate the cost he or she had to bear due to corruption and what percentage it is of their monthly/annual income. Developing a tool to calculate the cost of corruption in the Corporate Sector will directly benefit small, medium scale, as well as bigger corporate entities. Companies would be able to identify clearly which institutions are benefiting the most by their bribes, and would have compelling information which would force them to take a stand against it.
