Red tape causes corruption: Quebec builder | FAIR

Red tape causes corruption: Quebec builder FAIR: Red tape is both a cause and a symptom of corruption.
Regulations that are all-encompassing or impossible to meet give officials enormous discretion to make life difficult for those subject to the regulations. So officials can easily extract bribes in return for permits or licences. In this way red tape facilitates corruption.
Excessive red tape can also be a symptom of corruption. Creating burdensome regulations may be a conscious strategy -- a way for corrupt officials to pump up business.?