America 1869: A Doppelganger Every Day

Li Changsheng truly didn't expect Alaska to offer him such favorable policies.

Having lived in America for so long, he knew very well that America, aside from anything else, was absolutely incredible when it came to taxation.

Putting aside everything else, just the taxes alone for setting up a factory in California have taken up a lot of money.

Not only do you have to pay taxes when building a factory, but you also have to pay taxes on the factory buildings, the land, the employees, and even the profits.

Of course you won't make a profit; once you start operating, you'll need to pay taxes.

It's fair to say that just paying taxes could give Li Changsheng a major headache.

but.

Alaska went to such lengths just to build a factory there.

Most taxes were eliminated, leaving only the basic national income tax and taxes stipulated by the state.

Another factor is the fixed tax revenue that California can collect after the factory becomes profitable.

All other taxes were waived.

This is somewhat unbelievable.

Li Changsheng took the contract and examined it carefully.

He currently has quite a few clones studying law, including several in the United States, so it's easy for him to see the specific content of a contract.

The contract does indeed state that if the owner does nothing on the land, it will belong to them permanently without any taxes.

However, if you build a factory, fish, cut down trees or mine on it, or build houses to rent or sell, or even develop tourism, you will have to pay taxes.

This was not a problem for Li Changsheng at all.

Because these taxes are only a portion of the money paid when you are making a profit.

In other words, whatever you do on this land, as long as you make money, you need to pay taxes, but the more taxes you pay, the more money you make.

Li Changsheng never expected that such a good thing would happen to him.

Even after reading the contract twice, he couldn't find any loopholes and looked up in surprise.

"General, I'm actually a little confused. As a Chinese person, why would General Sherman give me such a big discount?"

The officer opposite Li Changsheng gave him a complicated look and said.

"The general said that you are a capable Asian."

"He believes that if you offer him enough incentives, he won't go to other states."

"If you develop well in Alaska, you can provide our Alaskan Army with an extra subsidy."

"We've given you so many reductions so that you can develop better. If you develop well, the army will benefit more, and we ordinary soldiers will also get a lot of benefits."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. The general asked me to tell you that if the land you buy is large enough, then to avoid any accidents on your territory, you should need some weapons and equipment. The general can provide them to you."

Li Changsheng's intuition told him that this person was not telling the truth.

At least not entirely the truth.

But he didn't pursue the matter further.

Whether it's the truth or a lie, as long as the benefits are real, that's all that matters.

Li Changsheng originally went to Alaska because he was heading to the Juneau gold mine.

He knew that if he took this opportunity to buy the area where the gold mine was located, he could quickly grow and expand by relying on the gold mine.

This would allow more Chinese people to go mining and work in the factories they establish.

Once they've earned enough money, they can move to other states in the United States to settle down.

These Chinese settlers in Alaska would join their own chambers of commerce, farmers' associations, and Chinese laborers' associations.

This can be described as a virtuous cycle.

It is also an opportunity to rapidly expand one's influence and power.

It can also alleviate the conflict between Chinese and white people.

To thoroughly address the root causes of discontent among white laborers.

But now that such a favorable policy is in Li Changsheng's hands, he hesitates.

His original idea was to share the gold mine equally with his other clones.

This way, the risk can be shared.

But faced with such a great opportunity, he would feel he would be letting himself down if he didn't acquire a piece of land in Alaska.

Therefore, Li Changsheng asked tentatively.

"General, I wonder if this contract belongs to only me or to all the factory owners who came with me?"

The white officer shook his head.

"Other states' policies are also much better than those of other states. At least it can be guaranteed that even if you produce something in Alaska and need to import raw materials from outside and then sell it elsewhere, the costs and expenses incurred in the process will be less than those in other states."

"If we could source materials locally and sell them elsewhere, we would earn even more than other states."

"As for this contract, it belongs solely to you."

"This is a gift from the general, as a token of our gratitude for your willingness to lead the people to Alaska."

"Of course, if you want to buy land, it's the same for you all. We'll sell it to you at $5 per square kilometer. The only requirement is that half of the land you buy must be developed within a year."

"Whether you use it for farming, raising livestock, building factories, or doing other things, as long as you develop this half of the land, that's fine."

Li Changsheng nodded, looking at the map beside him with satisfaction.

He knew very well that he could now easily take control of the gold mine.

However, if he really made that choice, Li Changsheng felt he wouldn't be able to protect it once the gold mine was discovered.

But the northernmost piece of land held a firm grip on his gaze.

That place, which will later be called the North Slope, is rich in oil and natural gas.

The discovery of the gold mine was only a matter of time, and Li Changsheng believed that he had no way to protect it in his current state.

However, the discovery of oil and natural gas will take another century.

All I need to do is buy this land first, and 100 years later, with my clone's status, I will definitely be able to control this oil field and natural gas.

At that moment, Li Changsheng made his decision.

He quickly tapped the area marked as the North Slope Basin on the map.

Then they also marked it near the future Juno gold mine.

"I only need a few thousand square kilometers of land to build a factory, but I also want to have my own territory where I can go hunting and enjoy the snow when I have free time."

"So I hope there is a place in the southern region where I can build a factory with peace of mind."

"And I'd like to buy a piece of the same size in this uninhabited basin in the far north. I wonder if that's possible?"

The army officer smiled and nodded.

He thought to himself that this Chinese man was at least pragmatic.

The general told him to develop only half of the land, so he bought the developable areas while also buying the undevelopable half.

Isn't this just like giving money to the general?

A piece of land spanning several thousand square kilometers, that's tens of thousands of US dollars, no small sum.