Tax evasion is totally endemic among traders, but part of the reason surely is their extreme vulnerability to harassment by officials—especially police and sales tax officials, whose draconian powers and nuisance value can easily force the trader to pay bribes even if he has not broken any laws at all. So why be honest and pay taxes? The customer too encourages tax evasion when he buys goods without taking a receipt as that would add sales tax to the price. In 1992, Manmohan Singh asked traders to pay up only Rs 1,400 a year as income tax and turn legit. The scheme failed, as most traders found they could pay a Rs 500 bribe instead and keep their names off income tax databases.