I just read all these replies again and it seems to me there is (another) scam happening here.
The poor person who had to pay 27 million, that is outrageous especially if you didn't get a receipt and i am at a loss as to why?
Fred2 seems to have the answer...use an agent, at least that way if you have anything to pay it is already included and not lining some corrupt "official's" pocket.
Having been here quite a few months I have noticed huge increases which seem to me to be aimed at the bule and their increased business here in Bali...post office charges have gone up almost 100%..again targeting the bule...not to mention the rip off of the new alcohol taxes earlier this year from Jakarta...again...attacking the tourist.
I can see many people taking a look at all these scams and deciding to move elsewhere to a (maybe) less corrupt system.
just my opinion:icon_sad:
Tamispecial, we are perhaps just disagreeing about semantics here but in a scam the person paying doesn't know he's being cheated. In many of the instances you've mentioned the bule or the lokal knows the price and can agree to it or not. His choice, the same in any free country in the world.
In the post office the lokal pays the same price as the tourist so a price rise is only aimed at increasing takings. I also try to remember, when there are price increases, how cheap so many things are to begin with.
Even in the case of korupsi it works to the benefit of the payer as often as not. It is usually a Choice.
An Indonesian friend of ours recently went to court over a traffic violation because he did not want to pay "under the table" but it wasn't a problem of targeting tourists or bules.
I totally agree with you about the level of corruption in Indonesia and that it is not good in any regard but I don't feel personally targeted or victimized as a bule in Bali.