Chapter 1989 - Custom Tax

Neither possessing a secretary to pa-pa like Liu Xiang, nor adopting Mu Min's style of dragging guns to check posts on streets at midnight, so when Ai Zhixin sent someone after tonight's training ended inviting him to discuss matters in the dormitory, Wang Qiyi agreed readily.

Entering the room, Wang Qiyi discovered that besides Ai Xinyi, there seemed to be an additional girl serving.

"From our bureau? Doesn't look familiar." Wang Qiyi asked in low voice, leaning on Ai Zhixin's shoulder.

"No, isn't, don't talk nonsense!" Ai Zhixin immediately deployed a Denial Triple with righteous indign ation. "With your wife commanding that office, I wouldn't dare. I can't withstand the Iron Fist of Justice smashing down."

"Hehe." Wang Qiyi laughed dryly, noncommittal.

"It's just that a few buddies selected her for me, saying after all..." Seeing Ai Xinyi turn toward the side room to tidy things, Ai Zhixin whispered, "Xinyi is still somewhat... inconvenient. Besides, the comprehensive quality of these students from the Arts and Sciences College—established after Maid School withdrawal—is quite high. You know, besides bedroom matters, communication between two people is also very important. Otherwise what's the difference from a living doll?"

"That is natural, that is natural." Wang Qiyi possessed no life secretary—no authority to comment on this aspect. But secretly he despised inwardly: Aren't you precisely treating your life secretary as a living doll!

"Old Wang, let's discuss business directly, not delay your rest." Ai Zhixin caught Wang Qiyi's expression, realizing his slight verbal misstep. The man opposite was father to three daughters—aren't fathers with only daughters natural feminists? Must pay attention in future. These two colleagues had to be maintained cordially. "Liu Xiang still wanted to levy certain tax categories that day. We discussed preliminarily. Do you have thoughts?"

Discussing professional matters, Deputy Director Wang's spirits immediately lifted.

"Slave Tax is straightforward. We already possess mature templates from Lingao—just adopt and deploy. Data are complete anyway. Clan Tax isn't difficult either. Only the Clan Real Estate component requires waiting for Field Clearing before knowing precisely. If Liu Xiang presses urgently, levying directly according to Land Deeds could suffice. Who permits Mayor Liu's authority to barely extend beyond city gates? Besides..."

"He also mentioned Flower Donation [Prostitute Tax]. What's your assessment regarding that?" Ai Zhixin, observing Wang Qiyi beginning to diverge again, interrupted hastily.

"That's difficult to handle." Wang Qiyi sighed internally. "Too messy, too dirty."

"Messy, I agree, but dirty?" Ai Zhixin fished two silver dollars from his pocket. "You tell me—between these two coins, which is clean and which is dirty?"

"Fair point. Why complicate it." Wang Qiyi leaned carelessly in his chair. "Problem involves extensive complications; tone is difficult to calibrate."

"What's difficult to calibrate? Liu Xiang's intention is forcing prostitution toward goodness, encouraging labor. So we combine prohibition with levy. You know other Senators' positions too. First: Guangzhou isn't Lingao—the gender ratio isn't so severely distorted. Second: if women can earn money lying down, who'll go to factory workshops? Third: infertility rates among prostitutes are excessively high, seriously wasting reproductive resources. We desperately lack population born under Senate rule. Finally—isn't this also the position of those Universal Value Faction members and female Senators like your wife?"

"Don't—my wife didn't, my wife isn't, don't talk nonsense!" Wang Qiyi, hearing the underlying implication, hurriedly hurled the Denial Triple back. Those few sentences appeared valued compliments, actually contained profound contradictions within the Senate. Just like Senator Pan Pan's drunken grumbling sometimes: Eighty percent of male Senators are Right-wing Totalitarian Darwinist Socialist Straight Male Chauvinist Pigs.

Whether Chauvinist Pigs, Deputy Director Wang found difficult to adjudicate. But Senators all possessed votes—that was concrete fact.

"We're both thirty-something running toward forty. Can't we see this clearly? Notice she didn't follow Du Wen making noise? She recognized Nan Wan'er as sister first. Nan Wan'er and I maintain purely platonic male-female relations. We all treat her as sister..." Wang Qiyi's face filled with grievance. That night's room inspection wasn't controlling your Director Ai's lower body!

"Yo, sister-in-law? Old Wang, you favor this taste!" Ai Zhixin laughed teasingly. "Confess honestly—no ideas? Really no..."

"Get lost! Are we discussing business or not?"

"Discussing business, discussing business." Ai Zhixin's mood improved considerably after bickering with Wang Qiyi. Men after all communicated better with men. "In my assessment, this Flower Donation should be levied."

Hehehe—still young, can't hold composure. Recently Wang Qiyi had observed Ai Zhixin frequently expressing sentiments about becoming a hands-off boss seeking leisure. This signaled very poorly. Leadership team infighting could trigger enormous trouble. Consequently he'd recently exercised caution regarding everything, avoiding stealing Ai Zhixin's limelight—whether third parties were present or not. Like today, regarding whether to levy and by what principle—in the past when Ai Zhixin raised the first question, Wang Qiyi would have responded immediately. But now he felt better letting Ai Zhixin speak first. He just hadn't expected this fellow to blurt out his position before two sentences of preamble. Damn it, more exhausting than acting in the old timeline. Wang Qiyi felt profound helplessness.

"But levying cannot copy Lingao's model." Ai Zhixin, observing Wang Qiyi's contemplative appearance, assumed he was still concerned about factional opinions. He began articulating his plan without waiting for Wang Qiyi to speak. "Heavy taxation is inevitable. I plan applying two prongs. Based on strictly implementing Lingao's 'Yellow Ticket' system, first strictly strike various private prostitutes, hidden prostitutes, and those 'one-building-one-phoenix' small nests. These people mostly engage in this trade for livelihood, and health risks are enormous—difficult to manage. Currently Guangzhou city offers abundant employment; positions recruiting female workers are plentiful too. Treatment isn't inferior to selling bodies. Force them out to work."

"Correct, the logic is sound. But this isn't what our Finance and Tax Bureau can accomplish. It involves law enforcement problems."

"I communicated with Liu Xiang beforehand. Other Guangzhou Senators—especially Dr. Lin and their Health Department—approve extremely. Catch them directly to labor camps for work. After several years of remolding, send back to Lingao to resolve marriage problems... Grand Magistrate Liu is pleased; the Senate is pleased too."

"Excellent, excellent." Wang Qiyi adopted an expression of washing ears to listen respectfully.

"Second item is levying heavy taxes on Wind Moon Venues [Brothels]. Regardless what services they provide, all levy uniformly high rates, compressing their profit margins. Currently personnel flow freely—they dare not transfer all these costs to prostitutes, otherwise people will flee. If raising fees, can Guangzhou's entire Wind Moon Field be supported solely by a few major households? Even if surviving finally, casual inspections still produce fines, right? Sealing and auctioning, Purple Light Pavilion takeover—logical and natural. During this period, estimate many prostitutes will have emerged to work long ago."

Ai Zhixin's words left Wang Qiyi dumbfounded. For a moment he felt the person opposite resembled a furry bear—authentic Russian variety.

"What's your assessment?" Long speech finished, Ai Zhixin suppressed his urge to smoke, drinking deeply. The girl beside immediately filled his cup obediently.

"Is this manageable? We don't know the details of those Wind Moon Venues. Even desiring High Levy, we lack standards."

"Ask Pei Xiuli. She has that Master's concubine purportedly from Thin Horse [trained courtesan] background. She knows this domain transparently. Besides, last time the Police Bureau conducted Custom Industry Rectification—those women all signed contracts. Many also 'actively moved closer to organization'—mass foundation exists. Simply request they write materials. Still fear we can't grasp the specific situation?"

"Fair point." Wang Qiyi considered. "I find Lingao's Yellow Ticket system quite effective."

"Correct. Also mandatory physical examinations. Unqualified applicants aren't issued Yellow Tickets. Consequently our Fubo Army soldiers proceed with relieved hearts. Otherwise causing problems in the army proves fatal. Totally only 20,000-plus personnel—how precious." Ai Zhixin didn't understand why Wang Qiyi suddenly reverted to mentioning Yellow Tickets, but he approved this system considerably.

"I feel, since Guangzhou also intends implementing Yellow Tickets—anyway every prostitute must undergo examination, otherwise tickets aren't issued..." Wang Qiyi shifted his body closer to Ai Zhixin. "Why not levy a sum concurrently when the Health Department conducts their examinations?"

"Mm? Excellent idea, Old Wang!" Ai Zhixin experienced sudden enlightenment. "Isn't this a replica of Insurance Companies and Vehicle Management Offices collecting Vehicle and Vessel Tax..."

"Hehehe, all vehicles, all vehicles..." [Pun on driving/sex]

"Old Wang, this isn't your style."

"Don't fuss—am I a normal man or not?" Wang Qiyi unfolded his notebook again. Ai Zhixin glanced—apparently notes from his just-completed speech. Instantly felt very satisfied. "I feel we can make substantial moves with Yellow Tickets. Wind Moon Venues are difficult to control, but Yellow Tickets are easily controlled. Inspection is simple too—can distinguish without reading characters. No ticket means direct labor camp. We can also establish a reporting system. I recall some time ago Grand Magistrate Liu hired labor at 5 cents daily. Then reward 5 cents for reporting each individual without Yellow Ticket. Think about it—encountering someone without a Yellow Ticket, the patron need not pay money and receives a bonus..."

"Old Wang, you're exceptionally devious, hahaha! But one matter is one matter. Reneging on debts shouldn't be encouraged. Money must still be paid—but confiscated as 'Illegal Income' afterwards. Speaking of which, your measure can combine with striking hidden prostitutes et cetera. Need not duplicate efforts."

"Let's raise this Yellow Ticket audit fee. Roughly elevate it so general girls in larger Wind Moon Venues only have enough to eat fully after paying the fee..."

"Old Wang, you're... specifically picking soft persimmons to pinch."

"This is natural. What costs are needed for Wind Moon Venue management? This Yellow Ticket audit—the Health Department must conduct it anyway. Adding our procedure represents basically zero-cost collection. Besides, if you strike the board on Madams, those flesh-selling women may not feel pain. Yellow Ticket is board striking themselves directly... Between a company losing 10 million and you losing 100 yuan—which hurts you personally?"

"This way thinking will conclude: should change industries rather than changing companies." Ai Zhixin pondered thoughtfully. "Wait—Old Wang, then those hangyuan [high-end brothels/courtesan houses]—how do you plan handling them?"

(End of Chapter)