American tax officials

Soon after, a man in a suit with a somewhat honest appearance came to the front of the group.

Seeing that almost all the top officials from the General Administration had arrived, he showed a hint of unease, but then forced himself to remain calm and explained, "Director, Inspector General David... there's a significant reason why the half-month cycle is only this short..."

"The reason is that after the bill officially took effect, whether it was Silicon Valley's internet giants or companies from other places, they all adopted the 'delaying tactic,' hoping to postpone their relocation back to the mainland as long as possible, which resulted in the failure to collect the due taxes..."

After hearing Rayleigh's explanation, David and the others finally understood.

They were saying, "How could these tax figures be so outrageous? It turns out that these internet giants and companies across the country are the ones causing all this trouble!"

"David, what do you think about this?"

Obadiah immediately looked at David.

"From the perspective of our tax bureau, every day these internet giants and companies across the country delay in relocating their registration back, we lose a day's worth of tax revenue. So we can't let them delay any longer!"

"We should bring their leaders in for a talk, and whether it's coercion or threats, we must find a way to get them to move back immediately!"

David said firmly.

"I agree with Inspector General David's opinion!"

"I agree. Although the law on tax evasion in other countries has passed, we're the ones who will suffer if they keep dragging this out. We should call them in and give them a good talking-to!"

"..."

All the senior executives agreed with David's tough approach.

"Okay, then about this matter..."

Obadiah looked at David, because he knew very well that David would probably have to step in to get these companies to comply.

"It doesn't matter if we put things on Wall Street aside for a few days. Leave this matter to me, Director."

David, being quite perceptive, took on the task himself.

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Chief Inspector David."

……

San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Facebook headquarters.

"Mr. Zuckerberg, given the stock market situation these past few days, Thompson and Masco's group have already acquired a significant number of shares in our company. I don't think they'll give up so easily. At this rate, it's probably only a matter of time before they become our second-largest shareholder. Should we... do something about it?"

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Facebook founder Mark Mazarcburg, who had just returned from Senado Island, showed no emotion on his face, as if he had already expected this outcome.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Never mind that for now. As for the matter of relocating our registered address, delay it as long as possible, drag it out as long as you can, understand?"

Although the off-site tax avoidance law is now a foregone conclusion, as long as they can delay moving their registered address back to their original location by even one day, they can not only annoy the IRS but also pay one less day of tax, so it's worth the delay.

"Don't worry, sir, we already have contingency plans for this."

"Good, that's good!"

"Oh, right..."

"Mr. Zuckerberg!"

Just as Zuckerberg was about to add something, another of his assistants suddenly appeared in front of him.

"What is it?"

"We've received a call from the IRS summoning you to their headquarters tomorrow morning. They say they want to discuss some matters with you!"

Upon hearing this, Zuckerberg raised an eyebrow, but quickly regained his composure.

The IRS summoning him at this time is probably not a good thing.

Should we go?

As the national tax authority, the State Taxation Administration has issued a summons, so he certainly can't refuse to appear. Furthermore, he might face media attacks and get caught in a media storm.

Therefore, pretending to be a coward or making excuses not to go is not going to work.

After thinking for a while, Zuckerberg seemed to remember something and asked, "Besides me, have any other companies received a similar notification?"

"According to the information I received, Gates, Kooker, Jeff... all of them have received subpoenas from the IRS."

Hearing his assistant's words further confirmed Zuckerberg's suspicions: the IRS subpoena was definitely targeting them.

But if so many people are summoned, it's not too bad for them. After all, with so many people gathered together, they'll have more confidence when facing the IRS.

"Help me prepare for my trip to Washington, D.C."

"Yes, sir!"

Besides Facebook, executives from other tech giants such as Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon have also received summons from the IRS.

Although the heads of the major companies were somewhat reluctant to go when they received the notification, after weighing the pros and cons, they eventually realized that not going was not an option, so they had to cancel other matters and board the plane to Washington, D.C.

Such a significant move naturally caught the attention of the media, and various rumors began to circulate.

Early the next morning.

A large group of media reporters arrived at the main entrance of the IRS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

"Hello everyone, this is BBC. According to information we received last night, the IRS has subpoenaed major companies in Silicon Valley and across the country. Executives from these companies have begun arriving in Washington, D.C. The specifics are still unknown; let's continue to monitor developments!"

"..."

The on-site reports from major media outlets also touched the hearts of countless people across the country at that moment.

Because the IRS has not yet released half a month's tax revenue figures for the off-site tax avoidance law, many people are still unaware of why the IRS has made such a big fuss about this.

But whatever it is, getting so many heads of large companies to come over is definitely no small matter.

This was the consensus of countless people across the country at that moment, and amidst the nationwide discussion, it was already 8:30.

"Look, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is here!"

"And then there's Gates from Microsoft..."

"Jeff from Dumbasson is here too..."

The appearance of the group of tycoons excited the media stationed there.

Unfortunately, they did not receive authorization from the IRS to enter today, so they could only wait outside for news and could not go inside to broadcast live.

Meanwhile, in a conference room at the IRS.

"Chief Inspector, they're all here!"

Munson walked into the conference room and spoke to David, who was drinking coffee.

"Then let them in!"

"it is good."

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

Munson led in Gates, Zuckerberg, Jeff, and a group of others who had been summoned.

The moment they entered, their eyes were fixed on David. It's worth mentioning that their gazes contained curiosity, scrutiny, but mostly resentment.

That's right, it's resentment!

Take Jeff for example. Last time, David used the issue of hidden taxes to make a big fuss about his company, almost crippling it.

Then, using the tax avoidance law, they ripped him off again. No wonder he resented David.

The others, while not as unlucky as Jeff, still suffered heavy losses to their respective companies due to the off-site tax avoidance law, and naturally they also harbored resentment towards David.

"Mr. Gates, Mr. Zuckerberg... I've heard so much about you..."

"Inspector David, I've heard a lot about you."

"..."

To be honest.

The group of people who were summoned certainly hated David to the core, but seeing how amiable David was, and since this was IRS territory, they naturally couldn't cause a scene. They could only force a smile and greet him.

After a few perfunctory formalities, David gestured for everyone to sit down, and then said, "I know that everyone here is a very busy person, so I would like to express my highest respect on behalf of the IRS for taking the time to come to our IRS office today."

"Not at all, we will naturally cooperate with the IRS's summons."

"Yes, this is something we American citizens should cooperate with..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone present gave a perfunctory response.

"Alright, let's get down to business. The purpose of inviting you all here today is actually quite simple: the tax avoidance law has been in effect for about half a month now. Logically speaking, every law in the past would be considered to be on track by this point in time."

"However, according to our IRS investigation, this bill is still not in the formal stages. I don't know if you are aware of this?"

After speaking, David looked around at everyone with a meaningful gaze.

"Inspector General David, we don't know much about tax matters, and we're even less aware of the issue of the bill not being formalized!"

"Yes, now that the bill has been passed, we will cooperate. But as for why the bill hasn't been properly implemented, we're not entirely sure."

"..."

At this point, everyone finally understood something: the IRS had invited them here because of the bill.

"Yeah?"

David's expression turned cold as he said, "Since you don't know, I'll just tell you the reason directly. After the bill took effect, your respective companies' registered addresses have still been delayed in relocating back to the home country. That's why the bill hasn't gotten on track!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.

Gates was the first to react, quickly retorting, "Is that so? When I get back, I'll definitely have my subordinates investigate thoroughly and get them to move the registration back as soon as possible!"

"Chief Inspector David, I'm aware of this matter, but as you know, our company has been registered overseas for many years and is subject to the regulations of those countries. Moving it back will take time; it can't be done in a day or two, or even ten days or half a month!"

"That's right. Let alone a company relocating its household registration, even for ordinary people like us, it takes a month or two to change our household registration. In some places with underdeveloped infrastructure, it can easily take a year or two. You can't rush this!"

Everyone present was shrewd; they quickly came up with an excuse.

"Do you think I'm stupid, or do you think I'm easy to fool?"

David's cold words instantly created an awkward atmosphere.

The people present looked at each other, but no one dared to be the first to stand up and say anything.

Finally, it was Gates, a seasoned businessman, who stepped forward and said, "As we said before, the companies we control are all incredibly large businesses, and these companies have been registered overseas for many years. In addition to communicating with the Ministry of Commerce, we also need to communicate with the Immigration Department, the Ministry of Land and Resources..."

Don't give me that crap!

Before Gates could continue, David interrupted him, saying, "To tell you the truth, before we brought you here, the IRS had already communicated with the heads of various departments."

"Their reply to me was that tax issues are of paramount importance, so as long as you submit the materials, the relevant departments can approve them within a day. Therefore, the problem lies not with the departments, but with yourselves!"

These rebukes made many people feel uneasy.

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

He didn't expect that David had already informed various departments before contacting them.

However, since David has already spoken with various departments, it seems that using this as an excuse to delay is a bit of a stretch!

Since that's the case, we can only find an excuse within our own company.

Having made up his mind, Gates said in a deep voice, "Inspector General David, I haven't finished speaking yet. I believe that the various departments can quickly pass the review, but our company is too big. The personnel, equipment, office supplies, and customer resources will take time to be transported back."

"Moreover, if the goods are shipped back in such a rush, the business will definitely be affected, and it may even paralyze sales and other issues. In that case, we will have to go through a painful period."

"During this painful period, revenue will definitely decrease, and tax revenue will decrease accordingly. Rushing things like this is counterproductive!"

Gates, after all, has been the world's richest man for many years and has seen countless ups and downs in his life.

So even though the person in front of him was David, whom he feared and hated to the core, he still dared to continue arguing.

"Yes, Mr. Gates is right. We also want to move back quickly, but we're concerned that it might cause instability within the company, thus reducing our tax revenue!"

"Although Inspector General David, you have communicated with various departments and promised to give us the green light, the Cayman Islands are, after all, foreign territories, and we still need to negotiate with them if we want to relocate our household registration."

"That's right..."

With Gates leading the way, the crowd's morale soared, and they all joined in the rebuttal. (End of Chapter)