kickback
noun

- an amount of money that is paid to someone illegally in exchange for secret help or work

Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

The term “kickback” first appeared in the 1920s when employers forced workers to repay a percentage of their government-set wages.

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MR TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT

In Indonesia, President Suharto (1921-2008) was publicly known as “Mr Twenty-Five Percent” because all major contracts were only approved if 25 percent of the income were paid to him personally. According to Transparency International, Suharto is the most corrupt leader in modern history, having embezzled an alleged US$15–35 billion during his rule.

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ANTI-KICKBACK

In the United States, companies providing medical services to Medicare patients were paying doctors to send patients to them, whether the patient needed the treatment, diagnosis, or test or not. In 1987, the United States Congress passed the stringent Anti-Kickback Enforcement Act to prevent such schemes.

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SYNONYMS

a cut of the action, a little something extra, backhander, backscratch, baksheesh, bribe, for services rendered, grease, hush money, KICKBACK, lubrication payment, inducement, money under the table, payola, piece of the action, sweetener

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PRACTICE OWAD in an English conversation, say something like:

“The culture of KICKBACKS in developing countries is a complex issue.”

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Paul Smith