Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 395 The Art of Struggle

With a smile on her face, Yuan Jin said slowly and deliberately, "Zhiyuan, your idea of ​​running the canteen in the government office to control costs is excellent."

Focusing on feelings rather than projects is a good approach. It's a good thing that young people have ideas.

But Zhiyuan, have you thought about this? Things aren't as simple as you think.

It saves money to hold it in the cafeteria, but what kind of scene haven't those leaders, bosses, and professors who come back from outside seen?

What do you think they'll feel if you make them eat crammed into the canteen of government offices?

"Won't they think we, Qingyan, are too poor and don't value them? That's one point."

Secondly, they don't talk about projects or investments, they only talk about feelings.

Zhiyuan, we are all Party members and cadres, and we must be effective in our work.

Feelings are important, of course, but they can't put food on the table, generate investment, build roads, or construct schools.

We spent money and effort, only to hear a few nice words and see a few smiling faces?

Isn't this input-output ratio a bit disproportionate?

"Thirdly, and this is what I'm most worried about. You've invited so many prominent people back and gathered them together. With so many people, there will be a lot of chatter."

What if someone takes advantage of this occasion to say something inappropriate, make unrealistic demands, or even complain about or disagree with the county's work? How can we control the situation?

In that case, a good thing might turn into a troublesome one. Stability should always be the top priority.

Zhiyuan, you are still young. You need to know how to weigh the pros and cons of some things, and it's not advisable to force your way into the limelight.

Wu Zhiyuan understood the subtext in Yuan Jin's words—it wasn't that the conditions weren't right, but rather that he didn't want the matter to mature.

Several thoughts raced through his mind.

As the county head, he was naturally at a disadvantage in front of the county party secretary when confronted head-on.

However, if he were to back down now, Yuan Jin could use the excuse that "the timing is not right" to reject any of his key tasks in Qingyan in the future, as long as she disagreed. He would be constantly hampered and unable to accomplish anything, and he would become Yuan Jin's little maid.

He needed a bargaining chip, a chip that would make Yuan Jin realize that "you will also pay the price for stopping me."

"Secretary Yuan's considerations are very thorough, especially his emphasis on maintaining overall stability, which is indeed of paramount importance."

I also want to report something to you by the way.

Yuan Jin was slightly taken aback: "What is it?"

"During my last research trip to Daling Coal Mine, I found that the mine's output value was over 400 million yuan, but its tax revenue was only over 8 million yuan, indicating a significantly low tax burden rate."

I learned from the tax bureau that other companies under the Daling Group, such as Shunfa Cement and Daling Building Materials, also have the same problem.

I'm considering asking the county tax bureau to lead a special inspection of tax compliance for key enterprises, especially resource-based and high-energy-consuming enterprises, in the near future.

On the one hand, it regulates the tax payment behavior of county-level enterprises and creates a fair tax environment;

On the other hand, it also plugs potential loopholes and increases fiscal revenue.

After all, as Secretary Yuan often says, the county has too many places where money is needed, and every penny must be spent wisely.

Taxes are like steel on a knife's edge.

Yuan Jin's expression immediately changed.

Liao Chenggong, the head of Daling Group, is the largest private entrepreneur in Qingyan County and the richest man in Qingyan.

Daling Coal Mine, Shunfa Cement, and Daling Building Materials are the core enterprises of Daling Group.

The relationship between Liao Chenggong and Yuan Jin was an open secret among officials throughout Qingyan County.

It is no exaggeration to say that Liao Chenggong was Yuan Jin's biggest financial backer.

On the surface, Wu Zhiyuan's words were about tax work, but in reality, they were a stab in Yuan Jin's weak spot.

If you stop my New Year's gathering, I'll investigate your sponsors.

If you prevent me from getting things done, I'll make sure you can't sleep at night either.

Once the tax authorities are stationed at Daling Group, they will definitely find problems, and the problems will be quite serious.

Yuan Jin's face was grim as she asked in a cold voice, "How do you plan to investigate the Daling Group?"

"First, let the county tax bureau conduct a tax assessment. If tax evasion is found, then transfer the case to the tax inspection department. Those who should pay the tax should pay the tax, and those who should be fined should be fined."

Every enterprise should pay taxes according to law, and Daling Group, as a leading enterprise in Qingyan, should be a model of honest tax payment.

Yuan Jin was very unhappy, but she couldn't stop Wu Zhiyuan from doing so. Firstly, the tax authorities had the right to inspect, and secondly, if she stopped him, wouldn't that expose his special relationship with Liao Chenggong?

He took a sip of tea and said, "Tax inspections are indeed a normal job for the tax authorities, but we must also consider the bigger picture."

Daling Group is a major taxpayer in the county, with thousands of employees, and plays a crucial role in stabilizing the economy and employment in Qingyan.

We should treat such enterprises with care and support, and help them develop in a standardized manner.

Instead of resorting to special inspections and campaign-style enforcement, which create widespread anxiety and disrupt normal business operations and social stability.

"Secretary Yuan is right. It is our duty to protect enterprises and optimize the business environment."

But true care is guiding enterprises to abide by laws and regulations and develop healthily.

Paying taxes in accordance with the law is a basic obligation of enterprises and the foundation of fair competition.

It would be unfair to other companies that pay taxes in accordance with the law if we turn a blind eye to obvious tax problems of individual companies.

If this continues, it will undermine the business environment we have worked so hard to create.

As for social stability, I believe that as long as it is done in accordance with laws and regulations and the procedures are proper, businesses will be able to understand.

Yuan Jin found that Wu Zhiyuan was more difficult to deal with than he had expected. His words were watertight and flawless, which made him, as the county party secretary, appear to be biased and protective of his own.

Yuan Jin thought to herself: This kid is determined to go head-to-head with me.

Using the tax issues of the Daling Group as a pretext to challenge me suggests they were well-prepared.

Fine, it's just a New Year's gathering, let him organize it.

If it's done well, the credit goes to the county, and as the secretary, I naturally get a share too.

If things go wrong, the responsibility lies with him, and it doesn't show that I, Yuan, am intolerant of others.

He chuckled. "Zhiyuan, we haven't finished talking about the New Year's gathering yet. How did we end up talking about tax inspections again? We've gone off-topic."

He picked up his teacup, blew away the floating tea leaves, and took a sip.

"Zhiyuan, the idea of ​​the New Year's gathering was well-intentioned; we genuinely wanted to unite people and gather strength for Qingyan."

As the Party Secretary, I should provide support. If we're always hesitant and fearful, worrying about this and that, the work can't be carried out.

Wu Zhiyuan knew that Yuan Jin was about to compromise, and asked calmly, "Secretary Yuan, what do you mean?"

"The New Year's gathering isn't out of the question, but we need to work on the details of the plan. I'd like to offer three points:"

First, the venue should still be the Qingyan Hotel. When inviting outsiders, the proper decorum is necessary. This isn't extravagance; it's respect.

Secondly, who to invite and who not to invite requires careful consideration.

Some people, despite holding high positions and being well-known outside the county, have always had a bad relationship with the county and even have opinions about the county's work. Inviting them would only cause trouble.

Some people, although they may not hold the highest positions, are enthusiastic about their hometown affairs, have a wide network of connections, and are influential among the local elites. Such people can also be invited.

Third, simply sitting together for a meal and exchanging a few polite words has limited effect.

These people rarely come back, so we should let them see the changes in Qingyan with their own eyes.

I suggest that we set aside half a day for them to visit the industrial park and see the production lines of the newly established projects;

Let's take another stroll along the rural revitalization demonstration zone and see our Qingyan's distinctive agricultural industrial park.

Let them see for themselves that Qingyan has been truly working hard and making progress over the years.

Wu Zhiyuan chimed in, "Secretary Yuan's considerations are very thorough, and I fully agree. We will further refine the plan and strive to make this a model for Qingyan to unite local elites and jointly plan for development."

Yuan Jin nodded: "Our team is like a ship. The Party Secretary steers the ship and the County Head rows it. Only when we think in the same direction and work together can the ship sail steadily and fast."

Yuan Jin changed the subject, as if having a casual conversation: "Zhiyuan, regarding the tax issues of Daling Group, I've been thinking that paying taxes according to the law is every company's obligation, but the way we do things is something we can think about again."

After all, Daling Group is a benchmark enterprise in Qingyan. The fact that they immediately launched a special inspection and audit team is too much of a fuss. It will inevitably lead to speculation from the outside world and will affect the company's reputation, bank credit, and cooperation with upstream and downstream partners.

If the business becomes unstable, thousands of jobs will be at risk. None of us can afford to bear that responsibility!

He paused, then continued, "My idea is that the tax bureau, under the guise of tax services, should guide companies to conduct self-inspections and proactively pay any outstanding taxes. Zhiyuan, what do you think?"

Wu Zhiyuan knew perfectly well that Yuan Jin had made concessions at the New Year's gathering, and now she wanted him to make concessions on the issue of Daling Group as well.

If she refuses to budge an inch and insists on investigating to the end, Yuan Jin can easily revive the New Year's gathering incident.

Politics is the art of compromise.

He had already used the Daling Group to secure permission for the New Year's gathering. Now, Yuan Jin proposed a compromise that retained the tax audit of the Daling Group while also saving face for Liao Chenggong, which was an acceptable outcome.

So he nodded: "Secretary Yuan's consideration is more comprehensive. The form of tax service is indeed more in line with the requirements of optimizing the business environment."

It helps companies standardize their management while avoiding unnecessary negative impacts. I have no objection.

Yuan Jin nodded and said, "Okay, then that's settled. Work is about moving forward through constant communication and adjustments."

Let's communicate more in the future, remind each other, and work together to handle things well in Qingyan.

Wu Zhiyuan wisely lowered his stance, saying, "Secretary Yuan is right. In future work, we will need Secretary Yuan to provide more oversight and guidance."

After Wu Zhiyuan left, Yuan Jin cursed, "That son of a bitch, his wings haven't even hardened yet, and he's already learned to wield a knife!"

Despite his anger, Yuan Jin had to admit that Wu Zhiyuan was more difficult to deal with and more cunning than he had anticipated.

Despite his youth, he knows how to use others' strengths against him and understands where the weak points are.

On the surface, today's confrontation appears to be a peaceful retreat for both sides, but in reality, Wu Zhiyuan used a precise "shock and awe" move to gain the greatest initiative for himself.

……

About a month after the Spring Festival, the relocation of personnel from Longcheng was basically completed.

Lin Xue, Wen Changcheng, and other former leaders of Longcheng City have all been reassigned.

Lin Xue was appointed mayor of Jiangzhou, while Wen Changcheng was transferred to another prefecture-level city to serve as mayor.

Lin Xue was previously the Party Secretary of Longcheng City and is now the Mayor of Jiangzhou City. It may seem like she has been demoted, but that's not actually the case.

Jiangzhou is the provincial capital, so the importance of its mayor is self-evident.

Jiangzhou is not a sub-provincial city; otherwise, Lin Xue wouldn't even be qualified to serve as mayor.

Shen Chenlin, former deputy secretary of the Longcheng Municipal Party Committee, has been appointed as the deputy director of the Provincial Department of Finance.

Cai Aiguo, former member of the Standing Committee of the Longcheng Municipal Party Committee and Minister of the Organization Department, was appointed as Deputy Director of the Provincial Agricultural Commission.

Han Ying, former member of the Standing Committee of the Longcheng Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, was appointed as the head of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Group of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection stationed in the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.

Gan Simiao, the former director of the Longcheng City Transportation Bureau, has been appointed as the deputy director of the city's Transportation Bureau, while retaining the treatment of a full-fledged division chief.

After Lin Xue's appointment as mayor of Jiangzhou was finalized, Wu Zhiyuan went to her office to report on his work.