It's not like the money which forms part of a policeman's salary is used for the greater good either.
Except insofar as it compensates the policeman for doing his job, and insofar as that job is for the greater good. (Although, I don't think everyone agrees that the moral justification for everything is a unitary 'greater good').
The problem isn't the policeman taking money, the problem is that he is taking money under the table and it is likely compromising how well and how fairly he does his job.
When bribery becomes so regular and highly routine, to the point where you can be seen to justly complain about the bribe being raised, the difference from a normal fee is entirely one of top-down regulation. Which is good and helpful for management. But the distinction is about the looseness of supervision and control (and the bad results that leads to) rather than the basic interaction.
> It's not like the money which forms part of a policeman's salary is used for the greater good either.
All of the money that goes into a policeman's salary is used for the greater good. That's what having a part of our earnings confiscated buys us. What the policeman does in his official capacity is another mater.
> The problem isn't the policeman taking money, the problem is that he is taking money under the table and it is likely compromising how well and how fairly he does his job.
No matter what his salary is, greed may lead him to take bribes regardless.
> When bribery becomes so regular and highly routine, to the point where you can be seen to justly complain about the bribe being raised
Well, it sounds like you're thinking from the point of view of that "auxiliary taxation" mentioned above. I still can't see how a group of people collecting bribes in some kind of hierarchy is not all about greed. I'm pretty sure the bribes don't actually improve the job performance of those policemen or the other looters up the chain.
Except insofar as it compensates the policeman for doing his job, and insofar as that job is for the greater good. (Although, I don't think everyone agrees that the moral justification for everything is a unitary 'greater good').
The problem isn't the policeman taking money, the problem is that he is taking money under the table and it is likely compromising how well and how fairly he does his job.
When bribery becomes so regular and highly routine, to the point where you can be seen to justly complain about the bribe being raised, the difference from a normal fee is entirely one of top-down regulation. Which is good and helpful for management. But the distinction is about the looseness of supervision and control (and the bad results that leads to) rather than the basic interaction.