Corruption in Lebanon is routinely seen as a challenge by foreign and domestic companies. A survey by Transparency International, a non-governmental anti-corruption organisation, suggests that perceptions of corruption have worsened in the past three years. The annual Global Corruption Barometer found that 82% of respondents thought corruption had increased in Lebanon over this period, compared with a Middle East and North Africa average of 56%. Some 34% of respondents said that they had been forced to pay a bribe in the past 12 months to speed up government services including to departments responsible for permits, utilities, tax, customs and education as well as to the judiciary and the police. The political class was considered the most corrupt, extending from local political figures to parties and parliament. The least corrupt organisation was considered to be the army. The report surveyed 1,000 respondents using a local statistics firm. It reflects anecdotal evidence that political tensions since the assassination of Rafiq Hariri in 2005 have led to a significant deterioration in the functioning of government departments, and that rapid private-sector growth has put them under increased pressure, factors that have led to very high demand for services, allowing officials to ration their provision through corruption and bribe-taking. Few respondents to the survey had confidence in government efforts to tackle the issue, with more than half saying that these were ineffective given the current political climate.