American Tax Officer

Chapter 614: Chapter 309: You Tai Media Starts to Make a Move_2
 

The reason for the tension was simple.

Now that David had shown a trend of swinging the butcher’s knife towards Amazon, who could guarantee they wouldn’t be next?

To avoid this scenario, after concluding their discussions, the major companies did not dare to delay even a moment, immediately ordering their finance and tax departments to work overtime in reviewing their own tax affairs.

This night was destined to be sleepless for companies like Amazon, Gugo, Microsoft, and Oracle, but for the media and the popcorn-eating public, it was quite a feast.

And by early next morning, there was no doubt that the Los Angeles IRS investigation into Amazon was the front-page headline of every major newspaper.

[The Washington Post: IRS initiates an investigation into Amazon; will the giant corporation that has never paid taxes in recent years be defeated?]

[The Los Angeles Times: Another major move from Director David; is the internet domain facing a tax audit crackdown?]

[The Wall Street Journal: Executioner David strikes again, and this time, targeting Amazon could shake the very foundation of America…]

[…]

In the reports from various newspapers, The Wall Street Journal’s wording was the sharpest, even directly attacking David’s practice of investigating Amazon.

Of course, since they dared to craft articles to launch an attack, they naturally listed several reasons.

Firstly, the Amazon Group has a total of 270,000 employees; if the IRS really initiates a tax audit on this group, it will undoubtedly affect the interests of many employees, leading to their protests or strikes, and causing social unrest.

Secondly, the economic situation in America is very bad; if David starts an investigation into Amazon, it will certainly trigger an earthquake in the stock market, making the market lose confidence and worsen an already dire economy.

And once The Wall Street Journal’s front-page headline was published, it also caused a huge uproar online.

Many people agreed with The Wall Street Journal’s criticism, arguing that America’s economy is already in such a bad state, and now the IRS and David are looking to shake up such a dominant company, surely causing market turmoil.

This could very well become the catalyst for a new financial crisis; who knows how many will go bankrupt and jump off buildings? Can the IRS take such responsibility?

But many others believed that as a trillion-dollar company, Amazon hadn’t paid a penny in taxes for years, instead receiving many subsidies from the government; how could that be considered fair?

Clearly, it wasn’t fair.

After all, we ordinary folks, with our modest monthly wages, have to pay taxes dutifully, so how can Amazon make so much money without contributing anything, showing no sense of social responsibility?

Because both viewpoints had their supporters, a fierce debate erupted online.

Los Angeles IRS, Director’s office.

At this moment, David was sitting in his chair, propping his chin, his gaze fixed on a copy of The Wall Street Journal on his desk, while opposite him stood Nisen Bakesimmons and a host of senior officials from the bureau.

“Fake, The Wall Street Journal has gone too far, attacking us with such a vicious tone!”

“The other major newspapers are still reasonable, but The Wall Street Journal is a thorn in our side. I think we need to give them a taste of their own medicine and show them some color.”

“…”@@novelbin@@

Many present expressed strong dissatisfaction with The Wall Street Journal’s article.

However, David’s face did not show much fluctuation.

In recent years, the Jewish People had essentially taken control of America’s media, and as the mouthpiece of the Jewish People, The Wall Street Journal’s decision to compile such a sharp critique after seeing his move to investigate Amazon was normal.

“Did the thing I asked you to investigate last night make any progress?”

After bringing back the senior executives from the Amazon division yesterday, David utilized the software plugin to scrutinize each of them one by one.

Although Amazon had indeed delved deeply into tax policies, under his powerful scrutiny feature, he still found some points that could be exploited, so he immediately instructed Buckynison and their team to dispatch people to gather evidence and investigate overnight.

“The workload is substantial, and we’ll need some more time.”

“So do my people…”

“…”

Listening to the responses from several people, David did not blame them for the slow efficiency,

Amazon, as the world’s leading e-commerce conglomerate, has a global network that obviously can’t be investigated in just a day or two.

While he was pondering, the phone on the desk suddenly rang, David picked it up and saw that the incoming call was from Donald, he immediately answered, “Deputy Director Donald.”

“How’s it going David, any progress on your side?”

“We’ve found some things, but it’s not enough yet, we’ll need some more time.”

“Alright, the Jewish people are clearly pushing their agenda in the media. Our IRS is facing significant public opinion pressure. I need you to hold a press conference to gain more support for us, which might alleviate the current public pressure.”

“Okay, I understand…”

After ending the call with Donald, David immediately looked up at Nisen and said, “Arrange a press conference, in half an hour.”

Soon after, when the major media outlets received news that the Los Angeles IRS was going to hold a press conference, they were instantly abuzz, rushing to the IRS building lobby in Los Angeles to wait.

“Director David is here!”

No one knew who shouted this, but following it, all the media reporters stopped their chatter and looked up in unison.

Sure enough, David arrived at the spotlight surrounded by a crowd, opened his arms and pressed down to signal for silence before he spoke, “Good morning to our friends in the media and the viewers in front of their televisions. The matter of us bringing back the executives from Amazon’s Los Angeles division yesterday has attracted widespread attention. I will now give a detailed explanation about this matter!”

After speaking, David pointed to a reporter from NBC Television.

The reporter immediately asked, “Director David, many people are discussing whether the IRS is initiating a tax investigation against Amazon, is that true?”

Although many people had already guessed it, guesses were just guesses; only official confirmation from the IRS would make it certain.

“Yes, I can tell you clearly that our IRS is indeed initiating a tax investigation against the Amazon Group!”

“Then Director David, since you are initiating an investigation against Amazon Group, do you have some concrete evidence that proves Amazon is indeed suspected of tax evasion?”

“This is currently under investigation and it’s not appropriate to disclose any details at this time, next question!”

A reporter from CBS Television, called upon by David, immediately asked, “Director David, there’s a lot of opposition online to your investigation of the Amazon Group. People think that Amazon holds too many people’s livelihoods in its hands, and as a top three company in the Fortune 500, any impact on it could potentially trigger an economic crisis. What is your take on this?”

“On that matter, I think America’s great statesman, Benjamin Franklin, has already explained it: in our country, only death and taxes are inevitable. And collecting taxes is a fundamental duty of the IRS. If we don’t collect taxes, where will the funding for healthcare, education, infrastructure, and the military come from?”

“So, I can once again tell you clearly, our IRS cannot abandon its duty to collect taxes from a company just because it may affect the economy, otherwise, I think there would be no need for the IRS to exist!”

After David’s resounding statement, a considerable round of applause arose from the audience.