The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

This is completely unexpected.

My house was burgled last night, and the police haven't caught the thief yet, nor have they recovered the stolen money, but the tax authorities came knocking on my door first.

"I am Xu Damao, what do you want with me?"

With his eyes still bloodshot and his heart filled with irritability, Xu Damao poked his head out of the room, wondering what the local tax bureau people wanted with him.

As a city dweller, Xu Damao had never paid taxes or dealt with these departments before, so he had no idea why they were coming to his door.

"You own this video arcade, don't you?"

Several tax officials entered the courtyard and looked around. The video arcades on both sides were not yet open for business.

Sunflower seed shells, peanut shells, and other snack wrappers were scattered all over the ground, and hadn't been cleaned up yet.

"Yes, I've registered with the business registration office. My main business is a video arcade. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, we at the local tax bureau are aware of your registration. You were registered in December 1979. However, we have some information about your video arcade business. We've come today specifically to audit your accounts. Please hand over your business ledgers to us!"

The video arcade wasn't very interesting, and classes hadn't started yet. After getting a general idea, the tax officer, with a smile on his face, said something that sent chills down Xu Damao's spine.

What's going on? Business ledger? Do you even have such a thing? What is it? What is it used for? Xu Damao, who has been in business for several years, has never had the habit of keeping accounts. Most of the time, he just goes through it in his mind: how much money did he make this time? How much money did he make this day? How much money did he make this month?

As for the details, they just need to be roughly the same. My underlings need to eat too, otherwise why would they follow me?

Seeing Xu Damao's puzzled expression, the comrades from the local tax department exchanged glances, as if they had guessed it too. It had only been a few years since the reform and opening up, and many places were like this: get the business started first and then worry about making money.

Forget about ledgers and books. At the end of the year, they just tally up how much money they made and that's it. There's absolutely no bookkeeping system or the idea of ​​paying taxes according to the law.

Individual businesses are springing up like weeds after a rain, but very few of them actually pay taxes. Most people think, "I earned this money through my own hard work, so I should pay taxes!"

"No?"

The person leading the team asked tentatively in a low voice, a strange light shining in their eyes.

"No, I don't know how to keep accounts. My video arcade is doing quite well. I don't need you to check for me. The two guys I hired don't dare to go too far. They're good enough!"

Xu Damao waved his hand casually, showing his weak awareness of tax payment. The person in charge wasn't the people he had recruited, but rather checking his tax situation.

"Then you'll probably have to come back with us for an investigation. We've heard your business is doing quite well!"

The tax officials chuckled softly, but their gazes toward Xu Damao grew increasingly sarcastic. They reasoned that he was only there because his business was doing well; if it were on the verge of bankruptcy, the tax authorities' presence would be pointless.

At that time, the individual business owners were not much better off than Xu Damao.

They were all self-taught, unskilled individuals, and their tax awareness was even weaker than that of rural villagers, who at least knew what agricultural tax was and what the "three levies and five unified taxes" were.

At least they know that the state allocated them land, and the grain they grow has to be handed over to the state.

"No, why would I come with you for some kind of investigation? I'm a law-abiding citizen, I haven't done anything illegal. I'm self-employed, you must have the wrong person~?"

Xu Damao's legs trembled slightly, thinking his secret speculation had been discovered. Prison was a terrible place to be, and having been there, he valued personal freedom even more. "Last night, three thousand eight hundred yuan was stolen from your home, and two savings books totaling fourteen thousand yuan were also missing. We heard about it, is that true?"

The tax officials didn't force Xu Damao to leave. Instead, they waved him over and started giving Xu Damao, a small business owner, a lesson.

"Yes, we lost money and a bankbook, but what does that have to do with you?"

Xu Damao obediently approached them, intending to offer them cigarettes, but they all refused, seemingly wanting to conduct themselves strictly by business.

“We have checked your relevant files. You were released from prison in 1977 and registered your business in 1979, obtaining a sole proprietorship license. Is your income of over 10,000 yuan related to the video arcade you run?”

"Yes, yes, it was the money I earned from my video arcade. I didn't do anything illegal or disorderly. I accepted reform and now I just want to be a good person and a law-abiding citizen."

Eager to distance himself from speculation and profiteering, Xu Damao gave his two henchmen a look, telling them to keep quiet and that he would speak for himself. He explained that since all his assets and income were deposited in the video arcade, it was his legitimate income.

"That's right. From December 1979 to today, you have not declared or paid any taxes to our tax authorities. Your income of more than 10,000 yuan, when averaged over an annually, amounts to 5,000 to 6,000 yuan, far exceeding the annual income threshold of 300 yuan. This constitutes tax evasion."

"According to relevant regulations, for individual business income, 7% of the annual income below 1,000 yuan is subject to taxation, ... and 60% of the annual income above 30,000 yuan is subject to taxation!"

The tax officials calmly gave Xu Damao a tax lesson, which was the first time these small business owners had learned what it meant to pay taxes according to the law.

"Ah~?"

"I don't know, no one told me!"

Xu Damao was completely bewildered by the series of numbers. He finally realized why these people had come to him: to collect money on behalf of the country, and quite a lot of it.

“The tax authorities issue announcements every year, which you may not have noticed. Reform and opening up have provided everyone with a path to prosperity, but paying taxes according to the law is the only way to make this path even wider. It is also the duty and responsibility of every business operator. We cannot say that we have enjoyed the benefits brought by the policies and then neglect our tax obligations.”

The tax officials remained calm. Xu Damao, a wealthy man with tens of thousands of yuan, was considered to have managed his business well. The two sides were not enemies to begin with, and since there was still 14,000 yuan in savings that had not been stolen, this amount would definitely be enough to cover the back taxes and fines. Therefore, they showed great patience.

“In the past, you never went to the local tax bureau to declare your business income, so we didn’t know about the operation of your video arcade. But after learning about your specific income, we found that you are suspected of tax evasion. Now you understand, right?”

"I see, I shouldn't have reported it!"

Only then did Xu Damao truly understand what it meant to want to cry but have no tears.

For more than three years, no tax officials had come to audit the accounts. But after the house was burgled and the police were notified, it suddenly attracted their attention and they came to collect taxes. No matter how you look at it, it's a loss for them!

It's seven percent again, and then another percentage. How much money did he actually make? Now his "loss" is even greater.

"I advise you to cooperate with our work, verify the operating income of the video arcade over the past few years, and pay the taxes. Our tax department will not investigate further, but we cannot allow this to happen again. This is our job, and we hope you can understand."

After leaving the local tax bureau, Xu Damao's face looked even older, and his hands were trembling. Standing downstairs, he kept slapping his thigh. This time, he had really lost money; it hurt even more than being robbed. He was no longer a "ten-thousand-yuan household." Luckily, he had bought a house; otherwise, he would have had to pay even more in back taxes.

Most importantly, we'll have to come here every year from now on. We're already registered with the tax authorities and are considered a key target. If we're found to be evading taxes again, our video arcade's business license might be revoked, and we could even go to jail.

"When it rains, it pours! I hope I don't find out who stole it!" (End of Chapter)