The penalties are most severe, even allowing for the increasingly lax standards so prevalent these days.

He said lax standards of discipline have contributed to recent rail accidents.

"We have more lax environmental standards and much worse enforcement."

Credit seems tight only when compared with the lax standards that bankers and regulators have allowed, he said.

Japanese authorities have admitted that lax standards and poor oversight contributed to the nuclear disaster.

The computer and video game media industry is criticised for holding lax journalistic standards.

Only three states still use the more lax, original standard of 0.10%.

"It shows very lax educational standards - when it does say anything about nursing education."

But even by the lax standards of the region, Mexicans have been considered especially prone to tax evasion.

He said the law's goals for graduation rates were indeed too modest and gave states too much room to set lax standards.