Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 210 No money, no taxes, the enemy pays us.

Milton glanced at the criminals who were working hard and actively reforming themselves through labor, and nodded slightly.

"Go on, to what extent have they achieved this?"

Veronica's voice came through the receiver: "Arsu has dispatched troops and massively blockaded our 'border' junction, seemingly to tie down our forces and defenses..."

"Law enforcement and customs authorities have found a significant increase in the number of people carrying cash into the country during this period."

"Meanwhile, grain reserves in the market have begun to decrease significantly, prices have started to rise, and some panic has begun to emerge among the public."

“These people are buying food through legal channels and have paid taxes. Unless you start legislation now to limit food purchases, there is no way for us to stop them.”

"But you only recently lifted the purchase restrictions..."

Milton got back into the car and couldn't help but chuckle: "No need to stop them, no need to limit purchases, let them buy, let them buy whatever they want. I happen to have plenty of surplus stock. I just started a high-efficiency banana plantation and need customers like this to increase my foreign exchange reserves and tax revenue."

Veronica knew that doing so was tantamount to starting an economic war, so she asked, "Once they've taken all the grain from the market, they might come and exchange it for our currency, for our anchor, which is grain... Can our reserves support such an exchange?"

If we are ultimately forced to announce decoupling, the problem will be huge. At the very least, the attempt at monetary autonomy will have failed, the "border zone currency" will become worthless, and we will have to revert to using the US dollar and the ghetta. At worst, it could shake the very foundation of our rule.

“That’s more than enough,” Milton said. “The main restriction is on foreign grain merchants… If the people from Arsu want to come in, let them come in. We have no money and no taxes right now, so let the enemy and unscrupulous merchants pay for us, isn’t that great?”

"How is the construction of our 'Pan-Madre Bank' progressing?"

Milton didn't have its own currency or much territory before, so even if it set up a bank, no one would deposit money and there would be no business.

Because this type of bank has a strong political influence, it would vanish once Milton's regime collapsed.

The situation is now quite different. Milton decisively defeated Lopez, seized his territory, and has a seemingly very strong air force to back him up.

The bank naturally gained a certain level of credit.

Veronica continued, "It's almost done. The bank will be able to start operations in three days at most... Um, finally, are you sure you want to accept the vast majority of the certificates of deposit from the Lopez era and take over this portion of the deposits?"

“Of course, we can just use tax audits and fines as an excuse to embezzle the large sums of money belonging to a very small number of people,” Milton replied without hesitation. “How much savings do most of the lower classes have? What’s the point of embezzling their money?”

"On the contrary, it would be a good thing to use this relatively small amount of money to put them into our 'Pan-Madre Bank' so that more people can use our bank."

Veronica immediately said, "I understand... By the way, I also heard that quite a few TV reporters want to interview you. Would you accept these interviews? These interviews might be closer to a real press conference, and there might be some tricky questions."

In the past, so-called press conferences were all done by Milton, who had Olya do them and then hired a few people to act as shills.

But this time it's different; the media outlets that came were from other media, and some of them might not even be friendly to them.

“Ask away,” Milton said, unconcerned. “This day will come eventually. Whether you’re asked today or later, it makes no difference.”

"Tell the warden to keep an eye on these people who are actively participating in labor reform. Now take me to that press conference..."

"By the way, I can accept news interviews, but I must choose the location of the interview."

The main problem is that Milton's current image is a bit too abstract. His previous roles as "Hell Tax Collector," "Godfather," and "Merciful Father" were barely tolerable, but the current "Khorne" is really too abstract.

We must find a way to reverse this image.

Therefore, the interview setting needs to be carefully designed.

Veronica immediately nodded and said, "Okay, whatever you say, we'll arrange it right away!"

"..."

……

A few days later, at 3 p.m., at a primary school in Quetzaltenango.

After the war ended, the first places to restore order were hospitals and schools. Once the army arrived, these places quickly returned to normal.

Gina, who had just returned to the city from the nuclear leak zone, was at the school's finance office, collecting her weekly salary with her payslip.

The principal, standing to the side, said somewhat seriously, "Gina, we've heard about your father's situation... Are you sure you're in the right condition to go to work? If not, we can grant you a few more days off."

Gina was only 20 years old, but she was quite good at math and could handle elementary school teaching. In those days of extreme teacher shortage, she was naturally hired as a teacher.

Of course, Gina has never forgotten to continue her studies in order to keep up with the ever-increasing educational standards of the future.

“No problem…” Gina forced a smile. “Compared to that, the children’s education is more important.”

"Okay, report any problems and get your wages. Starting today, the entire area under Mr. Milton's control will be converted to the new currency, and all other currencies will cease to circulate... We are a public school, so the money we receive will be in the new currency directly, saving you the trouble of going to the bank."

Gina's eyes lit up, and she quickly took the new banknotes and examined them carefully.

There are a total of three 100-yuan notes and one 50-yuan note, which are "border area currency".

Based on the official exchange rate, this is equivalent to US$44, after tax.

In 1994, the annual salary was about $2000, which was a fairly good income compared to before.

Unlike many banknotes that feature the face of a celebrity, the front of the banknotes features a majestic building—the tax office building in Quetzaltenango. The tax office building is in the neoclassical style, with giant stone columns, eagle emblem reliefs, and a clock tower on top, exuding an imposing presence.

The reverse side features the Mayan ruins located in Tikal National Park, with towering Mayan pyramids.

It is packed with anti-counterfeiting details, including a micro-Mayan numeral watermark visible when the light shines through, a variety of extremely difficult-to-counterfeit letters, numbers, symbols, and image details, as well as a huge problem that most counterfeiters will face: moiré patterns.

Any scanner available on the market will produce distortion.

Making counterfeit money would be very costly, and the largest denomination is only 100 "border area currency", so it's not easy to break even.

The principal glanced at the crisp banknotes and smiled, "To ensure the value of the currency, Mr. Milton promises that the banknotes can always be used to buy food, with a daily limit of 12000 kilocalories per person. However, the price of exchanging food at the official exchange is still slightly higher than buying it on the market."

"I just don't know how long this promise can last... During the most intense days of the war, in the city of Quetzaltenango, not to mention the ghats, even the US dollars were almost worthless."

Gina carefully accepted the money and said firmly to the principal, "I believe in Mr. Milton; his promise will last forever."

"Hahaha... Go back and keep an eye on your class. Same old rule, take them to the auditorium and make them watch 30 minutes of news before they can go home."

This is also a new rule for "hellish tax collectors," which fully distributes "elite education" to everyone while also requiring them to watch the news three days a week to stay informed about current events.

Gina nodded and turned back to the classroom.

The room wasn't great, but the basic teaching aids and equipment were quite complete. With one teacher leading more than 30 students, it wasn't too crowded.

Since Milton's new policy was implemented, with tuition for a child costing only about $10 per semester, many parents have immediately decided to grit their teeth and send their children to school.

At this moment, the classroom, which had been empty of the teacher for a while, became very noisy.

However, as soon as the teacher entered, even the most unruly students in the class immediately quieted down, which shows that even in elementary school, discipline is very strict, which is completely different from the "happy" atmosphere of many schools.

Gina then recalled Milton's words when setting the course of action.

Exam-oriented education may have many problems, but at least it is the fairest and most equitable mechanism that Milton could find, after exhausting all other options, to give the most opportunities to the underprivileged.

It really can change your destiny.

Milton wanted engineers, mathematicians, pilots, sailors, and skilled workers!
This approach can cultivate such talent at the fastest speed.

Gina nodded and said, "Okay, everyone be quiet. Come with me to the auditorium to watch the news for half an hour, and then go home after school."

Excitement immediately lit up the children's faces, and they stood up and lined up outside the classroom with Gina.

Although they prefer watching cartoons to the news, most children don't even have a TV at home. Watching 30 minutes of TV at school is already a favorite form of entertainment for them.

Soon, all the children in the school gathered in the auditorium, took their seats, and waited for the television in the auditorium to project onto the big screen via an external Sony CRT projector.

School staff can use the television as a signal source, connect it to an external CRT projector, and then project the image onto an independent screen. This saves the cost of purchasing a television for each class. Only one television and one projector are needed to barely meet the school's television viewing needs.

Although this projection method requires a dark environment and the clarity is not very good, it is more than enough for many impoverished children.

After the equipment was set up, the hall doors were closed, the curtains were drawn, and the television screen was finally projected onto the big screen.

In fact, not only the children, but even the teachers sat down and watched the news attentively.

In the past, if they wanted to watch TV, they had to go to a bar for a drink or spend a lot of their savings to buy one.

Now you can watch it for free while you're at work.

"Zizi..."

"This is Pan Madre News (formerly Malacan TV) channel... Your Excellency Director of the Tax Service, Mr. Milton Mins, announces a press conference open to the international audience to answer some questions."

"Now, let's turn the camera to our reporter to see what's happening on the scene."

Gina stared intently at the screen.

Unlike the press conferences we often see, held in a brightly lit auditorium with a spokesperson standing on a stage answering questions from reporters, Milton's press conference was noticeably dimmer, and the location was also different from typical press conferences.

Milton, the speaker, was not standing in the center. Moreover, Milton was not the only person on the stage. Several figures stood in different positions and postures in the shadows behind Milton, their faces all indistinct.

It's as if... as if the reporters aren't being interviewed by the local government, but rather being scrutinized by the high and mighty "Godfather"!
What a strong sense of oppression!
This is a soldier who has emerged from bloody battles, completely different from the politician-like temperament of Lopez.

“I am honored to serve as the regional tax director for the provinces of Quetzaltenango, Vevetenango, San Marcos, and Retalulleu. I will fulfill my duties to ensure that taxpayers who have fulfilled their tax obligations enjoy their right to pay taxes.”

"They will be free from all harm, including thieves, robbers, exorbitant medical costs, human trafficking, natural disasters, drugs, and so on."

"I will also strike hard and wipe out all hostile forces that evade taxes and attempt to harm my taxpayers. No matter what method I use or how long it takes, they will be reduced to ashes in my hands."

"Unprecedented disaster and punishment will befall them!"

After Milton delivered his very brief "inaugural address," Flora, standing in the shadows, spoke.

"Now, if you have any questions, just ask."

The reporters in the audience were stunned for a moment before raising their hands, having never seen such a fierce "inaugural address" before.

click!
In the dimly lit press room, a searchlight was turned on and shone on a male reporter's head.

No one said, "Please ask your question, sir," but the atmosphere was so oppressive that no one dared to speak, so they all put their hands down.

The reporter quickly picked up the microphone and asked, "Mr. Milton, as everyone knows, you used violence to overthrow the previously elected government. Do you think this action will bring a legitimacy crisis to the new government?"

"During the election, Lopez openly drove tanks into the streets, shelled opponents, and killed political rivals—can a politician elected like that be considered democratically elected?" Milton retorted coldly. "And the current government also went through a voting process, winning with 100% of the vote. Do you have a problem with that? Which newspaper do you work for?"

"I am a reporter for The New York Times, I..."

“This is a terrible newspaper. They don’t even know that officials have gone through the voting process. They’re obviously unprofessional,” Milton interrupted him, commenting. “Go find a proper job, next. I sincerely suggest that you stop talking after your time is up.”

The male reporter indeed dared not speak again.

Soon, a female reporter was in the spotlight again.

“Mr. Milton, I am a reporter from The Wall Street Journal.” The reporter politely introduced himself before asking, “In any case, the army you command has already put some pressure on the surrounding forces, and as far as we know, this army is not part of the Guatemalan National Defence Force… Do you think that having such a private army would violate the constitution?”

“This isn’t a private army; this is the tax police corps of the tax bureau.” Milton’s face peeked out from the shadows slightly. “Among the tax protesters are Mexican drug lords with armored vehicles. If I want to collect taxes, don’t I need even more powerful tanks?”

“I have faced the Juarez Cartel, which carried out the plane crash and what is known as the worst terrorist attack of the 20th century. Without fighter jets, how could I prevent them from carrying out terrorist attacks against me? I was acting in self-defense. Any attempt to prevent me from legitimately defending myself is by drug cartels.”

“You know our determination, and you know the results of our joint enforcement efforts with the DEA.”

“If the United Nations prevents me from fighting drugs, then I will also believe that drug traffickers are hiding in the United Nations.”

It has to be said that although Israel is wicked to the core, it's really satisfying to use this kind of rogue rhetoric.

The female reporter took a deep breath and asked again, "Thank you, I understand. May I move on to the next question?"

No one answered her, but the searchlight continued to shine on her head.

The female reporter had never conducted such a challenging interview before, but her professional skills prevented her from showing any fear. She continued, "Okay, thank you... The next question is, we heard that you are carrying out educational reforms. When we reporters visited schools, we found that the management of students has become very strict after the reforms. Do you feel that you are subjecting your child to things that he shouldn't have to experience at this age? Perhaps they need more happiness, or more extracurricular activities, rather than just focusing on grades?"

Milton replied calmly, "Perhaps what you're saying is important... but only exam scores are the only quantifiable standard, and only a set of absolutely quantifiable standards can bring about relative fairness."

"Let me tell you, there is a clear upper limit to the score on the test paper. This limits unrestrained competition. No matter how rich the educational resources are, a child can only get a perfect score."

"And what you're talking about—personal experiences and social activities that can't be quantified at all—has absolutely no upper limit. A child from a poor background can never get a resume with the experience of 'having climbed Mount Everest', no matter how hard they try."

"We are poor, you are rich... The rich can never imagine the lives of the poor. Your problem is how to live better, while I am solving the problem of how to survive. Only by solving the latter can I think about the former, understand?"

"Queen Marie Antoinette of France once said, 'If you can't afford bread, eat cake' (a rumor), and what was her fate? She went to the guillotine with Louis XVI."

"Don't talk about cake before you solve the bread problem."

"..."

When he said this, the entire school auditorium fell silent.

Most people, including the teachers, stared at the screen, their faces thoughtful.

Even the female reporter herself had a thoughtful look on her face.

"I understand what you mean."

"One last question, is that alright?"

The spotlight was still on.

"Hmm... I heard that you've arrested a lot of criminals, many of whom have been sentenced to death. Don't you think that such behavior is a bit too uncivilized?"

Milton said calmly, “Go ask the victims—I can reveal a little secret here—the enemy launched a shameless nuclear attack on me, contaminating vast swathes of land and causing countless deaths. Have you seen the poisoned families? Have you seen daughters who lost their fathers? Have you seen children who lost both parents? For such an executioner, the death penalty is the greatest mercy I can show.”

The female reporter pressed further: "Perhaps, we could try to reform them? Perhaps you shouldn't fight barbarity with barbarity, but rather try to assimilate them with civilization?"

“Not imposing the death penalty does not equate to civilization,” Milton said coldly. “For example, because no one steals in the city, everyone leaves their windows and doors open—that’s civilization. It’s not the other way around; simply enacting laws prohibiting the closing of windows and doors makes it civilized.”

"Similarly, the death penalty exists, yet no one violates it; this is civilization."

"Instead of simply abolishing the death penalty, you can declare to the world that we have entered a civilized society, understand? You're just burying your heads in the sand; it's pointless to deceive yourself."

“We are poor, we have no resources, we have no money, we need to survive, we don’t have time to play your rich people’s games.”

Finally, Milton said, "This press conference is now concluded. Everyone, please leave in an orderly manner."

"..."

click!
After a while, the lights in the hall were turned on.

The moment the screen went dark, Gina snapped out of her daze and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.

She got completely absorbed in watching the news!

Inside the hall, the children who were originally troublemakers were filled with fervor, and they took the lead in standing up and shouting:
"Long live Mr. Milton!!!"

Long live the 'Hell Tax Collector'!

"I need to pay taxes! I need to pay taxes! I'm going to go back and tell my mom that I need to pay taxes too! It's an honor to pay taxes for Milton!"

“No, my father said I must study hard so that I will be eligible to pay taxes for Mr. Milton when I grow up.”

"I don't care, I want to pay my taxes... I have pocket money, I'm going to the tax office later!"

"..."

Gina led the noisy children out of the venue in an orderly fashion, took out the banknote without a face on it, and looked at it again and again.

“Mr. Milton is the enemy’s ‘Khorne’ and our ‘godfather’.”

After leaving the campus, Gina rode her bicycle across the clean and tidy road, enjoying the street dance performed on the Mayan xylophone and bird flute, before leisurely arriving at her usual grocery store.

"Boss, same old thing."

“One kilogram of corn costs 1.1 yuan in border region currency, one pound (0.9 jin) of chicken breast costs 5 yuan in border region currency… Over there are the vegetable and fruit sections, take whatever you want.”

But Gina was stunned.

"So expensive? It wasn't this price a few days ago. This is even more expensive than exchanging grain directly with border region currency at the government! Aren't you afraid of being warned for raising prices like this?"

The shop owner shrugged helplessly: "How could I dare to raise prices like that? I don't want to get beheaded by the 'hellish tax collectors'... But the purchase price is already that high, so there's no profit for me selling at this rate. I went to ask the officials at the tax bureau, and they told me to adjust prices according to the market, and they didn't say anything else."

Gina looked bewildered: "You're selling them at such a high price, everyone's going to exchange them with the government, how can you still make a profit?"

Poor people are very sensitive to prices. If they know that there are cheap and reliable stores, why would they go to expensive stores?
Moreover, the Milton government's announcement states that each person has a daily allowance of 1.2 kilocalories, and special applications can be made for those with special circumstances. This is more than enough for any adult to eat until they are stuffed and end up in the ICU!

The limited quantity is only to prevent large-scale hoarding; for normal people, this limited quantity is equivalent to no limit.

The grain store owner was also a little puzzled: "Logically speaking, that's how it should be... but I still have a lot of customers coming to buy grain. I don't know why, it doesn't feel like normal."

Gina's heart sank, and she immediately thought of a possibility—the enemy was launching a "food" offensive, attacking the "Hell Tax Collector's" granary.

The public may panic and spend money to buy food from the new government in response to soaring food prices.

Can the new government withstand the pressure?

"I'll go check the government exchange point!" Gina said worriedly, immediately getting on her bike. "Hopefully, nothing serious will happen."

P.S.: I'll finish this tomorrow. I had some writer's block today, so I can only update normally. Sorry, boohoo.

(End of this chapter)