American Tax Officer

"..."

Major media reporting on site also stirred the hearts of countless people across the nation.

Because the Internal Revenue Service had not yet published the biweekly tax revenue for the new tax evasion legislation, many people were unaware of the reason behind such a significant mobilization by the Internal Revenue Service.

Whatever the reason, bringing so many corporate leaders together was definitely not a trivial matter.

This was the consensus among countless people nationwide, amid heated nationwide discussions, when the time reached 8:30 AM.

"Look, Facebook's founder Zuckerberg has arrived!"

"And Microsoft's Gates..."

"Amazon's Jeff is here too..."

The arrival of these tycoons excited the media stationed there.

Unfortunately, today they did not receive entrance authorization from the Internal Revenue Service, so they could only wait outside for news, unable to broadcast live from inside.

Meanwhile, inside a conference room at the Internal Revenue Service.

"Chief Inspector, everyone is here!"

Manson entered the conference room and spoke to David, who was drinking coffee.

"Then let them in."

"Okay."

A few minutes later, the conference room door was pushed open.

Manson led Gates, Zuckerberg, Jeff, and the others who had been summoned into the room.

The moment they entered, their gaze was fixed on David. It is worth noting that in these gazes, some were curious, some were assessing, but most were resentful.

That's right, resentful!

Take Jeff, for instance. Last time, David used the hidden tax issue to severely damage his company, Amazon, nearly costing it its life.

Then, using the tax evasion legislation again, he took another cut at him. It would be strange if Jeff did not resent David.

The others, while not as unlucky as Jeff, also faced severe losses in their respective companies due to the tax evasion legislation and naturally harbored resentment towards David.

"Mr. Gates, Mr. Zuckerberg... I've long admired your reputations..."

"Inspector David, your reputation is also well known to me."

"..."

To be honest.

These summoned individuals indeed despised David, but seeing how amiable David was, and considering they were on the premises of the Internal Revenue Service, they naturally could not make a scene and had to put on forced smiles as they greeted him.

After some superficial pleasantries, David gestured for everyone to take their seats and then began, "I know that everyone present is extremely busy, so I represent the Internal Revenue Service in expressing our highest respect to you all for taking the time to come here today."

"Not at all, cooperating with the summons from the Internal Revenue Service is natural."

"Yes, indeed, it is an obligation for us as citizens of America..."

"..."

Hearing this, those present responded with more superficial niceties.

"Alright, let's get to the point then. The purpose of inviting you all here for a discussion is actually quite simple. The tax evasion legislation has been in effect for half a month now. Normally, by this point, every piece of legislation should be on track."

"However, according to our investigation at the Internal Revenue Service, this legislation still has not become fully regulated. Are you aware of this?"

David surveyed the room with a meaningful look in his eyes.

"Chief Inspector David, we don't know much about tax matters, and as for the issue of the legislation not being formalized, we know even less!"

"Yes, since the legislation has passed, we will comply, but as to why the legislation hasn't been formalized, we aren't very clear."

"..."

At this point, everyone finally understood why the Internal Revenue Service had summoned them here—it was because of the legislation.

"Is that so?"

David's expression turned cold as he said, "Since you don't know, let me tell you directly. After the legislation took effect, your respective companies' registration locations still hadn't been moved back to our country in time. That's why the legislation hasn't been put on the right track!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd was initially stunned.

Gates was the quickest to respond, he quickly defended, "Is that so? Once I return, I will make sure to investigate thoroughly and hasten the relocation of our registration back home!"

"Chief Inspector David, I am aware of this matter, but as you know, our company has been registered overseas for years and is under the control of foreign countries. Relocation takes time, not just one or two days, or even a fortnight."

"Exactly, even for us ordinary people, transferring a residence registration can take a couple of months, and in some places with poor facilities, even a year or two is normal. These things can't be rushed!"

Those sitting there were all sharp-minded, and in an instant they thought of excuses.

"Do you think I'm a fool, or do you think I can be easily deceived?"

As soon as David uttered these chilling words, the atmosphere immediately became awkward.

And those present gave each other looks, yet for the moment, no one dared to be the first to say something more.

In the end, it was Gates, seasoned in the business world, who stood up and said, "As we said earlier, our companies are all immensely large, and they have been registered overseas for many years. Besides coordinating with the Ministry of Commerce, we also need to work with the immigration offices, the Ministry of Natural Resources..."

"Stop giving me those excuses!"

Before Gates could continue, David cut him off abruptly, "Let me be honest with you, before summoning you, the Internal Revenue Service had already communicated with all the major department leaders."

"Their response to me was that tax issues are the top priority. As long as you actually submit the documents, all other departments can approve them within a day. So, the problem isn't with the departments but with you yourselves!"

These scolding words made many feel uneasy sitting there.

As for Gates, who was just preparing to defend himself, he was both angry and somewhat helpless.

He hadn't expected that before summoning them, David had already spoken with all the major departments.

Since David had already discussed the matter with all the departments, using this as an excuse to delay seemed a bit far-fetched!

If so, then he would have to find an excuse within his own company.

Resolved, Gates said in a deep voice, "Chief Inspector David, I hadn't finished speaking. I believe that the departments can quickly process approvals, but our company is massive. Our personnel, equipment, office supplies, and client resources, even if we were to bring them back, would require time."

"And if we were to bring everything back hastily, it would definitely impact our operations and could even lead to paralysis in sales, and thus, pain in adjusting."

"During this adjustment period, revenue would certainly decrease, followed by a reduction in taxes... pushing for this is somewhat counterproductive!"

Gates, after all, had been named the richest man in the world several times in his life, and he had seen much turbulence.

So even though he faced the formidable and infuriating Chief Inspector David, he dared to continue his rebuttal.

"Yes, Mr. Gates is right, we also want to relocate quickly, but we're considering the potential disruption to our company, which could lessen tax revenue!"

"Although Chief Inspector David, you have coordinated with various departments and promised to greenlight us, the Cayman Islands are foreign territories. We still need to negotiate with them for the relocation."