PDLP Chapter 96 The Art of Paying Taxes, My Family's Police Station
Chapter 96 The Art of Paying Taxes, My Family's Police Station
"Uncle Qiao, this is our boss—"
"Mr. Jiang Feng!"
Caroline introduced them: "Boss, this is my uncle, Sheriff Joe, the chief of our Leggett PD."
(PD = Municipal Police Department)
Sergeant Joe's respectful greeting:
"Oh, Mr. Jiang, hello!"
"I have long admired your name."
"Caroline often mentions you at home, praising her boss as a generous, easy-going, and responsible handsome man!"
"Very, very charismatic."
"I've wanted to meet Mr. Jiang for a long time."
"It's truly an honor to be here today!"
Jiang Feng shook hands with him, secretly marveling, "The last time I saw someone so good at flattery was when I watched The Deer and the Cauldron."
"Hahahaha~"
"Chief Qiao, you don't need to be so polite!"
"I asked you out today to discuss the security situation in our town. Chief Qiao, you don't mind, do you?"
Old Qiao quickly replied, "No problem at all, of course not. I'd be very happy to introduce you to Mr. Jiang—"
"In Leggett, including myself, there are a total of six police officers and two Ford police cars."
"Responsible for the safety of three thousand residents."
"We're a small town after all, with a limited number of police officers, but the public security situation is relatively good. No major cases have occurred. Police resources might be strained during peak tourist season, but right now..."
╮(╯_╰)╭
He shrugged and complained helplessly:
"That damn flu destroyed everything!"
“There are almost no tourists now.”
"Our police station is also facing very difficult times—"
“Mr. Jiang, you should know that local public funds are all from local taxes. Without taxes, there are no funds, and we will be in dire straits for a long time to come.”
"We might even need to cut police officers!"
"Ah~"
This is not about playing the victim or complaining about being poor; it's a stark reality. While the United States is free, with each region operating independently, the price of this freedom is bearing its own responsibilities.
The town is broke? Then cut spending!
It's impossible for us to transfer money to you from somewhere else!
Either open source (and increase taxes)
Either cut costs (lay off staff)
The main source of local revenue in the United States is property tax, which is the tax that has to be paid on houses and real estate every year.
There's also the sales tax on goods, which is borne by the customer when they buy things, and this is also a major contribution of tourists.
However, property tax is the most important source of revenue for local governments.
Local schools' funding accounts for 70% of their property tax expenditures; without property tax, schools would have to close down!
Needless to say, the police station...
Jiang Feng is very familiar with US tax law.
Federal tax revenue sources include: individual income tax, social security tax, customs duties, corporate income tax, sales tax, estate and gift tax, government revenue, etc.
State tax sources include: state sales tax, state personal income tax, state corporate income tax, and special sales tax.
Relatively speaking, tax revenue is quite sufficient!
The local area (county/city) is relatively poor...
Businesses pay almost no taxes to them!
After all, corporate income tax is collected by the federal and state governments, and this part of the tax revenue is absolutely central.
Although there are many types of taxes in a region.
But each one is negligible.
Besides property tax and local sales tax, the sales tax has shrunk due to the increasingly difficult economic situation.
All that's left is the property tax!
Property tax rates are adjusted according to demand; if there are no other taxes available, the only option is to increase property tax…
Or should we close the school?
70% of property tax revenue is used for local education!
Without property tax, what's the point of opening a school?
Chief Inspector Joe was also very upset.
Leggett is far from the San Francisco metropolitan area and is not a major wine region, so tourism is very important to it.
It is backed by the National Redwood Forest Park.
Moreover, it is located at the end of Highway 1.
The economy is usually pretty good!
The local residents are mostly farmers, fishermen, vineyard owners, tourism service providers, and white-collar workers in San Francisco.
The economy is in very bad shape right now.
Are we going to have to add more taxes?
Damn it, do you even want people to live?
(T～T)
He had also heard that Jiang Feng was very rich, and that the salmon project and crude oil extraction at Lucky Farm were extremely profitable.
It's now the town's most important economic entity!
交税
consumption
Two directions determined Leggett's fate!
If Jiang Feng's tax payments are directed towards local areas and his spending is concentrated in small towns, he can support Leggett.
If Jiang Feng's taxes are heavily weighted towards the federal and state governments, and he doesn't spend his money in the small town, then Leggett is doomed...
So, would he dare to offend Jiang Feng?
dare not!
Absolutely not, he wouldn't dare even if you beat him to death. If he dared to offend Jiang Feng, the townspeople would really beat him to death!
"Only six police officers?"
Jiang Feng frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
Can a mere six police officers protect their farms, fishing grounds, and oil fields in the event of an emergency?
California is plagued by frequent shootings.
We can't do this without strong police protection!
Although cowboys are also quite capable, their weapons are restricted, and they are not as unrestricted as the police, who can shoot whenever they anticipate danger and have the law cover for them if anything goes wrong.
Therefore, strengthening the police force is absolutely necessary!
Chief Qiao could also see that Jiang Feng was dissatisfied.
He explained helplessly, "Mr. Jiang, I really wish I had more police officers, but the budget just can't afford it!"
"We can't even afford to support six police officers now..."
Even if the average annual salary for police officers is $66,700, six officers would cost over $400,000 per year!
There's also social security, pension, and various other benefits.
Otherwise, who the hell would be willing to risk their life?
Being a police officer in the United States is a high-risk profession!
Jiang Feng smiled calmly: "Don't worry, the funding problem is easy to solve. I will favor local tax payments."
In the United States, it is impossible not to pay taxes; no one can escape two things: paying taxes and dying.
However, you can adjust the tax payment direction!
federal
State
Region
As mentioned earlier, corporate income tax is levied at the federal and state levels, while property tax is levied at the local level and applies to various types of real estate.
According to the contract drafted by the law firm Mayer Brown, Jiang Feng's cooperation with ConocoPhillips on oil fields constitutes a lease.
It has reduced taxes in many business operations.
This also increased the valuation of the land itself.
It increased local tax revenue.
It reduced federal taxes.
The total tax rate is around 25%.
5% of county/city local area
Federal and state 20%
Assuming Jiang Feng collects one billion US dollars in rent, he will have to pay a total of 250 million US dollars in taxes, including 200 million US dollars from the federal and state governments.
Fifty million US dollars from the local government!
Counties account for 1/7
Market share 1/7
School District 5/7
School districts are part of the US education system, where taxes are levied on a specific area to cover the cost of public education within that area.
Property tax is actually a general term for county tax, city tax, and school district tax, with a ratio of 1:1:5, which is adjusted as needed.
School districts may span several cities and counties.
It is also not subject to local administration.
It is an independent organization.
If the local area is wealthy and pays more taxes, the quality of education in the school district will definitely be good. If the local area is poor and cannot recruit good teachers or buy good equipment, then the quality of teaching will definitely be poor, without a doubt!
50 million
1/7
The town earns $710 million annually, nearly doubling its local tax revenue, so why would it need to increase property taxes?
The quality of public education will be greatly improved!
The residents of the town will benefit greatly from this.
From now on, who will dare to offend Jiang Feng?
If Jiang Feng is unhappy and changes the direction of tax payment, they will have to pay more taxes, and the quality of their children's education will plummet!
Jiang Feng told Qiao about the situation at the oil field.
Chief Joe: (￣皿￣)
What?
Millions of dollars a year?
hiss~
Holy shit!
“Mr. Jiang, thank you very much. From now on, we at Leggett PD will do everything in our power to protect you and your property. Please feel free to give us any requests.”
"Just pretend that PD Leggett is your personal property!"
"Hahahaha~"
Chief Inspector Joe joked excitedly.
He quickly scratched his head and said, "But, Mr. Jiang, you should wait until next year to pay your oil field taxes."
"What are we going to do this year?" (Sad face)
Jiang Feng raised an eyebrow: "How about this? You have the town mayor issue municipal bonds, which will be repaid with future tax revenue."
"I can subscribe for ten million US dollars!"
Municipal bonds are commonplace in the United States.
Basic operation!
Bonds, of course, accrue interest, and municipal bonds are tax-exempt, hence they are also known as tax-exempt bonds.
Sergeant Joe gave a thumbs-up, his face beaming with excitement:
"This is a good idea!"
"Mr. Jiang, you saved Leggett Town!"
"Please allow me, on behalf of the three thousand local residents, to extend our highest respect to you!"
He saluted solemnly.
His expression was very serious.
Jiang Feng waved his hand casually: "Chief Qiao, you don't need to be so polite. I also have a request. For the sake of the town's security, I hope you can recruit more police officers, high-quality police officers!"
"I can donate a few police cars."
"And various weapons and equipment—"
AWM sniper rifle
MP5 submachine gun
Full set of special operations gear
Infrared thermal imaging equipment
Off-road police car
...
"Furthermore, one million US dollars are donated annually for police officer benefits, bonuses, retirement pensions, subsidies, and so on."
Chief Qiao almost knelt down and called him "Dad".
What else could he say?
This is what a real father looks like!
Anyone who dares to offend Jiang Feng from now on will be in big trouble.
I will never let myself off the hook!
.