Chapter 652: The Decree

Actually, the most efficient and direct way to deal with the Sailor Gang would be for the Agents to find an opportunity to act secretly.

If Wayne were to personally devise the plan, it wouldn't be impossible to create a puzzling case that no one would want to investigate deeply, even if it wasn't completely undetectable—the Detective Agency might even be invited to assist in solving the case, at which point it would truly be a case of “I investigate myself.”

Taking the initiative to eliminate a gang is certainly not a bad thing, and since Wayne was ambushed first, it's justifiable in principle.

However, such an approach is somewhat procedurally illegal on the East Coast, and Extraordinary Persons using organized violence against ordinary people easily incurs the Church's displeasure. Richmond feels like it's full of old foxes, and even if a case isn't solved, it doesn't mean they can't guess who actually did it.

It would be counterproductive if the operation turned out well but attracted a lot of overt and covert scrutiny and attention to the Detective Agency.

The local Agent organizations haven't bothered the Detective Agency recently, but their past interactions were far from pleasant. Just being legitimately and officially targeted by them would definitely not be a comfortable experience.

Moreover, Wayne always trusts the character and combat effectiveness of “good people.” The two monks from the Church are ready examples that can be directly used; when outnumbered, they don't abandon their companions and flee, nor do they even flinch.

The current atmosphere of the Detective Agency is developing in this direction. Inessa is a good role model in this regard, and the remaining two partners are harmless. The Agents' foundation is quite solid; although they're a bit mixed, they're not completely thuggish.

They influence each other, which is a virtuous cycle. If they want to be reckless, they should wait until their foundation is solid.

After painstakingly building a good reputation, even if they were to sell out, they should get a good price. There's no reason to waste it on a mere Sailor Gang.

However, the laws of America these days truly do not hold gang members accountable by association unless there is actual evidence to accuse them of participating in a case. Unless their boss personally leads the charge and the entire gang goes all out to fight you, it's difficult to wipe them out in one go.

The Dock Area is also a complex mix of forces, and suddenly eliminating a gang, even if Wayne is justified, would be hard not to attract attention.

So, Wayne decided to do something big.

You want to watch, do you? Then I'll just throw a “flashbang” and let you watch enough for once.

Just don't focus all your attention on the Detective Agency.

…

That afternoon, Tax Officer Quinn, who was planning to leave work, was blocked back in his office by Wayne.

He took a copy of an old file from Wayne's hand, his expression a bit exasperated: “The ‘Waterfront Construction Decree’? How did you dig this up? The history of this decree almost goes back to the early days of the Federation, doesn't it?”

Wayne hadn't expected such a thing to exist either.

Originally, to persuade Tax Officer Quinn, Wayne had already drafted his own version of a “Special Taxation Decree.”

However, after arriving at City Hall, he first went to the archives. He originally just wanted to find an existing city decree as a reference and modify its wording, and also listen to Ms. Susan gossip. But Ms. Susan took a quick look and felt that the draft Wayne had prepared seemed familiar, and then she found this copy.

Back when the America Federation was just founded, the capital of Virginia was still Georgeberg. Perhaps people at that time felt Georgeberg had too much of a Windsor flavor, so the capital was moved to Richmond.

Richmond back then was naturally far less developed than it is now, and the Dock Area only expanded to its current size after many years of continuous construction.

Construction meant spending money, especially since this once young new capital also had to represent the nascent America Federation and strive to surpass the once prosperous Georgeberg. The pressure was even greater, and in addition to financial support from the state government, Richmond also issued city decrees to raise more funds.

Some of the clauses in it were very much to Wayne's liking, such as: “Organizations and individuals who profit from existing docks beyond a certain amount are obligated to pay a usage fee to City Hall for the construction and maintenance of the docks.”

Wayne specifically pointed out several of these clauses, “Mr. Quinn, these clauses should still be valid, right?”

Tax Officer Quinn was a bit puzzled but still answered Wayne's question:

“The usage fees for the docks are actually collected under a more specific new decree, as the city is constantly developing, and the amounts and allocation methods have changed several times accordingly. However, this decree does not seem to have been officially abolished. Some of its clauses have been partially replaced by more detailed new decrees, and the remaining content, although no longer enforced, is theoretically still valid.”

That makes things easier, and it saves the step of having to find a way to get a new decree passed by the City Council.

After Tax Officer Quinn finished speaking, he handed the copy back and reached for his file box, asking at the same time, “You brought this to me, what specific question do you want to consult about?”

Wayne tried to keep it concise: “Our Detective Agency has recently been helping to investigate the plague in the Dock Area and found that many gangs have quite substantial incomes. I remember I discussed related matters with you before, and you said at the time that with the current city tax law and police force, it's difficult to collect taxes on illegal income, and I agree that makes a lot of sense—but what if we only target gangs of a certain size? Would that be somewhat feasible?”

Tax Officer Quinn seemed to fall into thought, “Hmm… many gangs' normal business activities actually involve paying license fees regularly. If we only calculate usage fees, the amount might not be very high…”

Wayne had already thought about this problem: “Considering the negative impact of gangs on urban public order, if we trace the period for which usage fees should be paid back to the gang's formation, or back to the date the decree was officially promulgated, with so many gangs in the Dock Area, the total amount might not be small.

“More crucially, some gangs clearly occupy properties not under their names, some gangs are likely concealing sales figures for certain goods, and some are even suspected of involvement in smuggling, directly involving federal tariffs, as well as state ad valorem taxes or specific commodity taxes. You certainly understand the Dock Area's cargo throughput better than I do; this portion of the money might be even greater.”

Tax Officer Quinn rubbed the handle of his file box, “Collecting taxes from those gangs might not be an easy task… at least my tax collectors probably won't be able to collect them.”

In America these days, local governments primarily collect taxes in three ways. The first two are relatively easy:

First are franchise taxes and fees, which people need to pay themselves to relevant government departments before opening a business. Government officials just wait in their offices.

Second are allocated fees like municipal usage fees, market stall fees, ferry passage fees, etc. These fees are either collected door-to-door or at designated points in ports or markets. The corresponding amounts are generally fixed, requiring a little effort but no thought.

The most troublesome are property taxes and specific commodity taxes. Property taxes are collected based on the value of land, houses, and slaves under an individual's name. Specific commodity taxes are further subdivided; for example, some goods from out-of-state are subject to ad valorem tax when resold within the state, and retail alcoholic beverages are subject to special tax based on sales.

What Tax Officer Quinn meant by “difficult to collect” primarily refers to this portion—customs duties also fall into this category, but that's a headache for federal customs and not a local tax or fee, nor does it directly go into the state government's or City Hall's pockets.

The collection of these types of taxes requires tax collectors to first conduct value assessments or detailed audits, which is both energy-consuming and prone to errors.

And it's clearly difficult for grassroots tax collectors to get gangs to actively cooperate in this area. The ideal is beautiful, but the reality is harsh.

However, Wayne happened to be a capable and enthusiastic person:

“Cracking down on gangs is something that can build prestige, and the extra taxes collected can also be used for urban construction, benefiting all citizens.

“If we only target gangs in the Dock Area, City Hall might find this approach feasible, and our Detective Agency is very willing to provide voluntary assistance. Since these taxes seem to have never been collected from gangs, no matter how much can be collected, it won't be a bad thing.”

Tax Officer Quinn had by now put down his file box, thought for a moment, and sat back in his chair, pulling out paper and pen to start writing and calculating.

His pen stopped after arriving at a certain number. “Hmm… this suggestion is very worth considering, but unfortunately, this matter is not something I can decide. Wayne, would you mind coming with me tomorrow to report to the Mayor? Some council members in the City Council might also want to understand the situation after hearing the news.”

Wayne had no need for promotion or accumulating seniority in City Hall, and Miss Harley had also mentioned that Tax Officer Quinn was considering a possible change in his position:

“I'd be happy to. However, as you know, I've encountered quite a few troubles recently and it's not suitable for me to be publicly involved in other matters.

“I believe this suggestion should be formally proposed by a professional like yourself, alone. With your understanding of the local area and your expertise in taxation, you will certainly be far more convincing than an outsider private detective like myself.”

Tax Officer Quinn hesitated slightly: “Is that alright?”

Wayne nodded, “If you are in charge of this matter, our Detective Agency will certainly do our best to assist. At least you don't have to worry about that.”

Involving taxes and funds, based on Wayne's understanding of America, many people would probably prioritize the issue of money.

Even if some gentlemen have underlying financial entanglements with gangs, normally, their benefits should be periodically divided and not consistently aligned—different statuses mean not everyone can be so closely connected.

If another sum can be collected from the gangs, then some of their accounts might become “unbalanced.”

Some of their collaborations might develop cracks, and perhaps some gang leaders might even become an eyesore to the gentlemen behind them as a result.

At that point, if the Detective Agency then chooses an opportune moment to act under other charges, it might become something those gentlemen would welcome or not interfere with.

As long as the waters can be muddied, the Detective Agency should be less conspicuous when mixed in.

Anyway, no matter what, Wayne already knew that the Sailor Gang at least actually occupied a distillery, and he didn't believe they would honestly pay full taxes. If this matter could be pushed forward, then the Sailor Gang would be the first to be targeted.

—According to the history Wayne knew from his previous life, in an era before the crime of “organized crime” existed, gangs were most likely to fall due to tax issues.

First, arrest them with charges, then interrogate them in detail, and ideally, hint to the prosecutor to make some plea bargains, letting gang members expose each other to atone for their crimes.

Even if some gang members manage to avoid prosecution, their morale would be shattered, and even if they wanted to continue operating, such a gang might first be swallowed by other gangs.

In a place that can attract so many Extraordinary immigrants, who would believe that gangs don't engage in any smuggling or tax evasion?