Chapter 281: Give and Take
After settling these allies, Sheffield did some calculations. Among the current business scope of the United Company, except for the land owned by Karl Lagerfeld, he also had profitable businesses such as chain supermarkets, United Fruit Company, beverage industry, automobile industry, real estate and Panama Canal project. However, the most profitable industries were smuggling and private prisons. Making money did not mean the total amount, but the two projects with the smallest investment and the largest profit.
As the biggest smuggling boss in the United States today, Sheffield must be thankful for this era, the US tax bureau, where only death and tax payment are eternal, is not very powerful at present. At least it is not capable of pointing a gun at his head.
"Pay taxes!" Sheffield sighed. He really should think about how to avoid taxes legally. After all, this thing is always a hidden danger.
"Are you still afraid of a small tax department? Didn't you say that in this country, no one can stop you from doing whatever you want? You just brag in front of women!" Natalia pushed a glass of milk in front of Sheffield and ordered him unceremoniously, "Drink it, and stop being listless every day."
"For a family like yours, the IRS is like God. I was able to escape from the IRS's sight because of my environment in the southern states. Apart from the southern states, whether in Chicago or Los Angeles, my taxes are very clear!" Sheffield boasted shamelessly, "I'm not a stubborn person. If I can escape, that's the best. If I can't, I'll just hand it in honestly."
He frowned and drank the milk that was pushed to him, smacking his lips and saying, "Actually, I hate drinking milk the most. In my eyes, it's not as good as a glass of water. Also, you underestimated the IRS."
The predecessor of the Federal Internal Revenue Service was established by Lincoln to support the consumption during the Civil War. During this period, many farmers and factory owners were unwilling to pay taxes, concealed their income, and even violently resisted taxes. Therefore, due to the wartime system and considerations, the tax agency was given the right to mobilize the army to "collect taxes by force." Later, this authority was retained, evolved, and even improved. The tax department has its own armed organization, equipped with everything from light weapons to heavy weapons, cells, prisons, courts, and the power to directly freeze property without application.
"But you didn't seem to mention this!" Natalia tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Aren't you afraid?"
"That was the situation in the South before. After the Civil War, the Yankees ripped off the southern states, leaving them with almost nothing to lose, so they naturally didn't care about smuggling. Who says they haven't fought against the IRS before? It's just that I didn't have to worry about it before. The IRS is a tough opponent for any company, but we must always consider public opinion. The South was so poor after losing the Civil War, and smuggling supported hundreds of thousands of people. Who could they catch with smuggling on this scale? Of course, the most fundamental reason is that the United Company is an international company that pays special attention to armed forces. What the IRS has, the United Company doesn't have, except for the courts, but the rest are private armed forces and private prisons."
After explaining the general environment and key points to Natalia, Sheffield changed the subject and said, "But now I have to start paying taxes. Slowly, the harm of smuggling to the United Company will outweigh the benefits it brings."
Because it was an election year, Sheffield stayed in New Orleans and planned the schedule for moving the automobile production line. Then he met James, the manager representing Standard Oil, who was a senior manager. He had represented Standard Oil in the negotiations in Arlington a few years ago, when Sheffield had not yet graduated from college.
"The boss invited Mr. Sheffield to invest in a hospital and a school, and the destination is China!" James stated his purpose, which seemed to be a good thing, doing charity.
"No, John, don't you know that I never do charity?" Sheffield turned his eyes and refused flatly, "If you want to build a stadium or an orphanage, I can help, but I won't do anything else."
The stadium is to promote happy education, and the orphanage is more kind, after all, the children are very pitiful. And the United Company has a tradition of training its own employees, and has been doing so since the civil war.
"Eh? Mr. Sheffield, United has always boasted of being international!" James looked at Sheffield in surprise and said blankly, "I don't know why it didn't play an important role in this matter?"
"Because my industry does not include the medical industry, I don't need to use people from other countries to test my medicine for free." Sheffield raised his eyebrows and said, "At the same time, my brain is not broken. I don't think that if I beat someone up and pay for their medical expenses, they will stop hating me. In simple terms, the internationalization of the United Company is to strike hard at countries that have no ability to resist. Anyway, I don't worry about retaliation in the future, so I won't do this."
The Rockefeller family intervened in the medical industry, and the Morgan family intervened in the insurance industry, all to make money from diseases. When it came to me, there was no room left to start with diseases.
As for building schools in China, the fundamental reason is that the hatred of white people in China has been noticed by other countries. The president of the University of Illinois wrote in a memorandum to the Senate: "Which country can educate this generation of Chinese youth will gain the greatest spiritual and commercial influence due to the efforts made in this regard."
The main meaning of this sentence is that the United States hopes to increase its investment in controlling the minds of the next generation of young people so that they will have a better impression of the United States and believe more and more that the United States is their savior.
Sheffield knows the evolution of history. Those who are attracted to the United States are the most hopeless and hopeless cannon party. The most fundamental role played by the cannon party is to let the United States see how blind it is in choosing allies. Through the cannon party, the United States has been under the hostility of China for decades.
This was exactly the opposite of the federal government's original purpose, so Sheffield of course flatly rejected this doomed thing. He didn't want to get involved in such a mess. He took out the funds and watched the cannon party take the money back to the US stock market to trade stocks.
"Oh, okay!" James forced a difficult smile and looked at Sheffield with a hint of contempt.
"Humph!" After the other party left, Sheffield chuckled and said to himself, "The federal government's self-confidence didn't start after World War II?"
In the Rockefeller Manor in New York, Rockefeller Jr. held the telegram with a helpless smile and said to his father, "Father, William is still a slave owner. He can obviously gain a good reputation internationally, and the investment is not very large, so why not do it?"
"From what he has done so far, he is indeed very busy. Besides, there will be an election this year. He may be discussing with the Democratic Party how to deal with the election campaign. If he doesn't want to join, then don't join!" Rockefeller still had a serious look on his face. "That's what Dixie people in the South are like!"
Even a man like Rockefeller could not escape the temptation at this time and fired a solid attack.
If this behavior is attributed to Dixie thinking, then Sheffield can only accept it. He doesn't think it's impossible not to be remembered for doing bad things. Even the black people in Africa can't forget the pain of being colonized. How naive is it for the federal government of the United States to think that it can change its reputation with a little favor?
He may not be as noble as other companies, but the identity of a slave owner also brings benefits, that is, Sheffield is not naive. He knows that he is doing a bad thing. He always strikes hard and mercilessly towards the weak. He will not offend those with potential from the beginning. He would rather not get involved than be targeted.
"Even if I didn't go to China to build hospitals and schools, my reputation would still be better than theirs. I gave the Chinese jobs despite the Chinese Exclusion Act. Although the pay was a little low, I never delayed their wages. The Yankees in the North don't understand one thing. For people in many countries, they will not thank you just because you take the initiative to express your goodwill. They will only thank you if you don't show up in front of them."
Sheffield has no regrets at all for rejecting the Rockefeller family's charity. It was a big pit and he himself would not jump into it. If other companies wanted to jump into it, he would not object.
Entering the middle of the year, Sheffield has successfully moved an automobile production line here and is recruiting workers in New Orleans. In fact, the scale of the automobile production line will continue to expand, and small batches of exports have begun. Listening to Ramon Hess's report, Sheffield calculated and said, "In the field of automobiles, Germany is our competitor, but you also know that the German Empire is not large and has shortcomings in resources, so it is very poor in oil. Automobile exports will drive oil exports. Our goal is simple, to let oil-using cars beat steam locomotives. In terms of steam locomotives, France and Germany are both very strong, but their potential is not as good as our automobile industry. How much do you think automobile exports can reach this year?"
"Fifty thousand!" Ramon Hess gave his answer after a moment's hesitation. "Half of them are exported to Europe, and the markets in other countries are still being explored."
"That's it? It's still a little off!" Sheffield thought for a moment and said, "It's not easy to swallow up other people's markets, but aren't cars very popular in Latin America now? For matters in this regard, you can ask Gail and McHale. No one knows more about Brazil than them. They have been fighting for several years."
"I see, boss!" Ramon Hess smiled and exclaimed, "New Orleans has changed tremendously. Everyone here should thank you."
"If they don't show some actual thanks, they should just thank God! The state legislature promised me that if the election results remain the same, they will let me run the state prison!" Sheffield yawned, "It's worth my years of supporting the Democrats."
(End of this chapter)
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