People in other countries often have a high opinion of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) because of hearsay, and they also think how powerful the IRS is and how they should not be messed with. In fact, wealthy people in the United States who have some assets are trying every means to avoid, evade and evade taxes. The boundaries are also very blurry. Moreover, even if tax evasion is discovered, it is usually just a matter of paying back taxes, and few people go to jail for this.
Just imagine if the IRS is really so all-pervasive and powerful, how could it leave so many loopholes for wealthy people to take advantage of, and even lead to a negative tax rate situation like Amazon's
However, in another situation, the IRS is indeed very 'powerful'.
That is when it is used as a tool of power.
This is actually true all over the world. What Simon remembers most is the wave of industrial, commercial, tax, fire and sanitation, which can easily make it impossible for a company to survive.
In the United States, the most talked-about case of Al Capone, the gang leader, was unable to escape IRS sanctions. In fact, many people misunderstood the reason. The root cause of this matter is not Al Capone's tax evasion, but the US government's desire to deal with this overly arrogant gang leader, and the IRS is just a tool of power in this process.
Since various border tax avoidance and tax evasion behaviors are so common in the United States, the use of the IRS is often very effective in the struggle for power at the upper levels.
Because one check is accurate.
Why did a golden retriever real estate developer refuse to release his tax records before and after he was elected president? Is it just because of tax avoidance? Amazon has even disclosed its negative tax rate. If the tax avoidance method is legitimate, what will happen if it is disclosed? Anyway, the public's requirements for its ethical standards are really reduced to the minimum.
The key to the matter is that it remains unchecked. Once it is publicly exposed, the media and political opponents will swarm around and carefully examine it bit by bit. The smallest flaws will be magnified a thousand times, not to mention that the flaws are too obvious in the first place.
Now, Levison Group, which Simon plans to acquire, is also experiencing a similar situation.
The Westeros system has already controlled the property of a certain golden retriever real estate developer, but Simon does not intend to support the other party too much. He will just wait and see. However, Simon is very optimistic about the prospects of the real estate industry, which requires other real estate companies as expansion tools, and Levison Group is a good target.
By acquiring this company, the Westeros system will have a very complete real estate development and operation team, and will also be able to acquire a large number of high-quality real estate projects. At the same time, using this company, it will be able to further expand into North America and overseas.
Therefore, after the Levison Group rejected his conditions for taking a stake, Simon only put pressure on its huge debt, intending to force the Levison family to surrender.
The IRS got involved without warning, and it was completely planned to bankrupt the Levison Group.
The traces of manipulation behind the scenes are also very obvious.
Francis Levison was actually arrested for borderline tax evasion of less than $2 million in a transaction three years ago.
US$2 million is just a drop in the bucket for a super rich man whose family assets reach the level of 1 billion. Under normal circumstances, the IRS will never take such a big step and will often only ask the rich to pay back taxes and at most a fine. .
Now, not only has Francis Levison been arrested, but the IRS has also frozen the bank accounts of the Levison Group on this grounds, and plans to further conduct a detailed review of the corporate accounts of the Levison Group within five years. The situation of Levison Group is not good to begin with. If the IRS does this, those creditors will only be more anxious to recover the money, because they want this old real estate company to go bankrupt and liquidate.
Some time ago, the contact between the Westeros system and the Levison Group has been well known.
When something like this happens suddenly, everyone will subconsciously think that Simon is behind it.
The failure of the transaction has forced the other company to a desperate situation. If this kind of reputation spreads, it will be very detrimental to the Westeros system. What's more, this matter has nothing to do with Simon at all. He has no preference to take the blame for others. .
Using the strong network of contacts established in the federal government through the Westeros system, Simon quickly found out the truth of the matter.
Very simple.
This incident once again points to the Republican forces entrenched in the South, or, to be precise, the Bush family.
It was also easy for Simon to figure out the ins and outs of the whole thing.
Florida is often an important swing state related to the outcome of every presidential election. Simon can see this. As a political family, the Bush family certainly knows this better. As early as 1986, before Bush Sr. ran for president, the second son of the Bush family, Jack Bush gave up business and entered politics, and began to hold the important position of Secretary of Commerce in Florida. He also tried to run for governor last year.
All of this is aimed at gaining the initiative to rush to the White House as much as possible in this famous political swing state.
In the past few years, because Simon secretly helped Clinton defeat Bush Sr. and entered the White House, and also noticed the increasingly powerful political influence of the Westeros system, the Bush family made several small moves in succession, and the two sides were back and forth.
After last year's mid-term elections, Simon had already asked the political lobbying team of the Westeros system to work intensively in Florida. This time, he tried to acquire a stake in the Florida-based Levison Group, although the main purpose was to expand the Westeros system. The territory of the real estate industry, but even Simon himself has considered that investing in the Levison Group, which has a history of hundreds of years in Florida, will definitely be able to gather a large number of political forces in the local area.
The Bush family, which has been operating in Florida for many years, will certainly not allow this to happen.
Then the Leveson Group got into huge trouble.
Simon needs to take the blame.
If possible, Simon actually doesn't want to get involved in politics at all, but this matter once again echoes a common sentence in martial arts novels.
People in the arena involuntarily.
Three famous Wall Street snipers in the 1980s, Ron Perelman, Carl Icahn and Michael Milken. Why did Milken end up in jail, and Ron Perelman, who also had a bad record? and Carl Icahn got away with it. There were obviously many signs of violations that could be traced, but in the end they were ignored. Although there are many reasons, one of the key points is that Ron Perelman and Carl Icahn They are all active political activists. They are the big financial backers behind many politicians and actively participate in various electoral activities.
The Clinton-Lewinsky sex scandal is well known, but few people have noticed an inconspicuous detail: Monica Lewinsky was actually recommended by Ron Perelman to join the White House as an intern.
Although the outcome of the matter was not good, Clinton and Perelman were very good friends in private.
Carl Icahn and Ron Perelman both have strong connections in Washington. In comparison, Michael Milken is far away from the political center of the United States. In order to live a comfortable life, this legendary financier who single-handedly brought the junk bond market to its peak also deliberately moved the bond department of Drexel Securities, which he was responsible for, to Los Angeles on the west coast of the United States. He had never had much interest in politics.
Therefore, in the storm of investigations into a group of Wall Street financial giants in the late 1980s, Ron Perelman and Carl Icahn escaped easily, but Michael Milken actually shed a layer of skin.
Lessons from the past.
If Simon is just a Hollywood filmmaker like Spielberg, then he must do whatever he wants. However, with the current size of the Westeros system, if you do not try to support your own political power as much as possible, it will only become a fat sheep whose flesh is constantly cut up by others.
Even Simon had to face various criticisms to develop the military power independently controlled by the Westeros system, as well as the powerful countermeasures he had been planning in private.
A child holding gold in a busy city must be coveted.
The Westeros system that has developed to such a large scale in just eight years is actually the most typical child holding gold in the busy city.
However, if the child is accompanied by several strong bodyguards, and the bodyguards also carry fearsome knives and guns, and the child himself even has one or two grenades on his body. If you dare to come and snatch me, I will die with you. Basically, It's enough to make most passers-by take their eyes away from Jin Zi.
Simon's continuous layout in recent years is just to achieve this goal.
Regarding the Bush family's small actions, if it were a few years ago, Simon might have fought with the other party to the end, even if it ultimately changed the course of American political history.
Now, Simon has no intention of doing this.
Simon hopes that the history of this country will continue to develop according to its original trajectory, and that the Bush family will continue to struggle for eight years and destroy all the vitality that Clinton has just recovered.
A weak country and a weak people are the best environment for powerful oligarchs to survive.
Simon is a person who firmly believes that human nature is inherently evil. Reading a certain Chinese book during this period made him escape from many misunderstandings in his past thinking.
The way of being in a position of superiority is not to give others the best and get corresponding rewards.
Therefore, Simon decided to have a serious talk with the Bush family in person.
The 71-year-old Bush, who is basically in a state of retirement, was a little surprised to receive Simon's secret invitation.
Since the 1992 general election, the two sides have actually been on opposite sides of each other.
In recent years, because he was still upset about his defeat in the 1992 election and to pave the way for the future of his two sons, Bush Sr. had made many small moves in private. Simon, who was becoming more and more powerful and wealthy, had also become a key target of the Bush family.
I thought that there would be no chance for the two parties to meet the king, but I didn't expect that the young man would personally send the invitation.
If you think about it carefully, Simon Westeros has actually shown his dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party since last year's midterm elections, otherwise he would not bet on both sides.
Is this a plan to make a complete turn
Although the two parties are back and forth in private, if Simon Westeros plans to switch to the Republican side, the Bush family will never be stupid enough to shut him out. Since the mid-term elections last year, behemoths like the Westeros system have become a force that no politician dares to despise in the slightest.
As for the conflicts accumulated between the two sides, it would be nothing if they could get a big helping hand.
Therefore, the next day after receiving the invitation, Bush followed the other party's invitation and secretly flew to Aspen, a ski resort in Colorado, in the central United States.
As a former federal president, Bush Sr. still has the protection of the Secret Service.
To a certain extent, these people are actually spies.
So, we even went to great lengths to keep this trip a secret. It is not easy for a 71-year-old man to travel from a warm southern state like Texas to Aspen in central Aspen during the coldest time of the year.
Simon Westeros probably also wanted to see their sincerity, and Bush took it for granted.
The other party is now qualified enough to do this.
This is Friday, January 20th.
Colorado, where Aspen is located, is adjacent to Utah, where Park City is located. The distance between the two ski resorts is about 400 kilometers.
Simon attended the opening ceremony of the Sundance Film Festival yesterday. On the surface, he was still staying in his vacation villa surrounded by ice and snow in Park City. In fact, he quietly set out from Park City early this morning, bringing only a few confidants with him because he was on the road. It happened to be snowing in some areas, and the traffic was very slow. Two ordinary cars of different models did not arrive at their destination until two o'clock in the afternoon. In order to avoid exposing his whereabouts, he didn’t even stop for lunch along the way.
The meeting place was a very ordinary mountain resort cabin.
Simon was only accompanied by Neil Bennett, and several other bodyguards were left in the city. Bush Sr. also had only two people on his side.
Compared with Simon's busy life, Bush arrived in a private plane and was much more comfortable. Simon could actually take a private jet, but he didn't want to leave any flight records that could be traced.
During the Bush administration, he sent various invitations to Simon, a young man who was rapidly rising to fame, but was always rejected by Simon. This was the first time the two met, but they both seemed very familiar with each other. After saying hello, the two entered the holiday cabin, while the other two attendants took the initiative to guard the door.
After coming to sit down by the burning fireplace, Bush prepared a bottle of tequila that was said to be very old, poured a glass for Simon himself, and chatted some more.
The veteran politician clearly wanted to get to know Simon better through a face-to-face conversation, and Simon responded with ease.
After finally discussing Simon's plans in Ukraine, Bush finally asked: "Simon, what's the matter with your invitation to me this time?"
Simon took a sip of pure Mexican tequila, looked at Bush Sr., and said bluntly without mincing words: "George, I just want to talk to you face to face to avoid unnecessary conflicts between us in the future."
Bush narrowed his eyes slightly, but said: "We have never had any conflicts."
Simon smiled and still looked directly at the other person: "George, everyone knows some things, right? In fact, during last year's mid-term elections, I revealed my wishes to Washington. I have not participated too much in political affairs. preferences, so I increased my presence in Congress in order not to participate in the most fiercely competitive position. Moreover, all I did was just to protect myself, just to ensure that my personal interests would not be affected. Violation."
Bush hesitated slightly, then pointed out: "So, what about Florida?"
Simon was still direct: "This is my counterattack to the Kevin Moorhouse incident in Pennsylvania. George, although the political strategy of the Westeros system is mainly self-preservation, I am not the kind of person who reacts after encountering provocation. People who don’t fight back. In order to prevent everyone from hitting each other harder and harder in the future, I will invite you to this meeting."
Bush stared at Simon, considered for a moment, and finally said: "Simon, I need to see your sincerity."
Simon said: "I can ask my people to completely withdraw from the layout of Florida. Is this considered sincerity?"
Bush Sr. had no idea that Simon would be so easy to talk to, and he even wondered if this guy was cheating. It is true that he personally arranged the tax audit of the Levison Group, but he did not think that just this move would make Simon Westeros take the initiative to compromise.
This doesn't make sense.
Simon felt the obvious suspicion in Bush Sr's eyes and said: "I just said that the political strategy of the Westeros system is mainly self-preservation, and I don't have too many ambitions in Washington. So, this That's my sincerity. In exchange, I don't want to see any actions from the southern Republican forces against the Westeros system. Oh, and also, the farce about the Levison Group, I hope it will end next week. "
Bush immediately said: "Didn't you say you wanted to give up Florida?"
"I give up the political layout in Florida, but the Levison Group is a business. The Westeros system will increase investment in the real estate industry in the next stage. The Levison Group is a very good platform."
Bush fell silent, picked up the tequila and brought it to his mouth. After a while, he said: "It's unlikely next week. Simon, you have to know that once some things are started, it's not easy to stop them, at least. For half a month, the IRS still wants to lose face.”
"Then let Levison out first."
"That's no problem." Bush Sr. nodded, looked at Simon again, and suddenly asked: "Do you think Clinton can be re-elected?"
"certainly."
"So, what about the year 2000?"
Simon smiled and said: "I have just said that I have increased the layout of Congress in order to try not to interfere with the competition for that position that is too sensitive. The 2000 election is your own business."
"Simon, I think you can definitely stand on our side. You have also seen that the Democratic Party is simply a mess, and the Republican Party's governing philosophy is more suitable for the development of the Westeros system."
"You're right, George, but people always have to be persistent." Simon shook his head and said, "Also, although I will mainly support the Democratic Party, I will not give up my friendship with the Republican Party. Maybe a little diplomatic, but in my position, you know, I have to do that."
Of course Bush knew that.
The current Westeros system is too huge.
After the rise in stock prices at the beginning of the year, the total value of the stocks of Cisco, AOL, Daenerys Entertainment and Microsoft held by the Westeros system alone has exceeded 300 billion US dollars. Many media predict that Simon's His personal net worth has reached $500 billion.
500 billion U.S. dollars, which is already 7% of the U.S. GDP of 7.2 trillion U.S. dollars in 1994, far exceeding the 1.5% of federal GDP occupied by the Rockefeller family at its peak.
Standing in such a position, it is simply impossible to maintain a pure stance.
The settlement of the reconciliation tendency is just the beginning, and both parties will definitely have to see whether the other party will implement it in the future.
However, the outcome of this meeting has been achieved.
The two of them were not in a hurry to leave, and continued to chat for more than an hour. In the end, they both felt sympathy for each other, and then the host and guest had a great time.
Bush will remain in Aspen tonight.
After completing this meeting, Simon had no intention of staying in Aspen overnight. He left in the evening and did not return to Park City until about nine o'clock in the evening.