Chapter 14: Another hundred thousand US dollars credited

"$5,000 per percentage point..."

It was not only Osborne who was instantly disappointed, but the rest of the black people as well.

To afford the $5,000 in taxes, they would need to sell out at least 10 individuals.

But for their tax deduction to be only 1 percent, that felt rather low to them.

David saw the disappointment in the crowd and comforted them, "You have to realize, this one percent isn't just a one-time thing, it's recorded in our IRS files, and for each of you, it's permanent!"

"Permanent!"

Osborne exclaimed in surprise and pursued, "Does that mean, as long as we get the tax deduction, we'll enjoy this one percent off every month from now on?"

"Exactly!"

Upon receiving confirmation, Osborne, along with the others, immediately became overjoyed.

Their Zero Purchase scheme wasn't a one-shot deal, but something they planned to continue operating in the future.

And likewise for the IRS taxes—it wasn't a one-shot affair either, certainly something they would need to pay every month going forward.

So don't underestimate this one percent.

But accumulated over time, it could save them a lot of money.

Quite the bargain!

"Alright, Mr. Inspector, we'll do as you ask, but… this might take some time!"

"That's fine."

"This place is too small. Let's do this, we'll call people over to the basketball court, and have you, Mr. Inspector, explain it to them there. No problems, right?"

Osborne could summon the rest of his crew, but convincing them to honestly pay their taxes would require a bit of intimidation from the IRS.

"No problem, go ahead!"

"Great!"

Osborne and his men didn't dally, quickly leading the blacks in the room out with a flurry, and in a short while, only David and Nisen remained on the scene.

And at this moment, Nisen, even as the blacks had left, was still in a daze.

When he arrived today, he thought it would surely be a tough "battle," but he hadn't anticipated things going this smoothly.

What surprised him even more was that apart from Osborne and his companions' easy compliance, there were other unexpected gains.

Though he didn't know how many other Zero Purchase Participants Osborne could bring in, given the large population in this black community, it certainly wouldn't be just a few!

If that were the case, this case of the black community's Zero Purchase scheme might very well become another sensation after yesterday's armored car case, causing another stir throughout the bureau!

"Let's go, Nisen."

The call snapped Nisen out of his reverie. He fixed his gaze on David and, hesitating to speak while his face was filled with complex emotions, eventually chose not to say anything.

He really wanted to know how David got hold of such comprehensive information on the Zero Purchase Participants, but remembering that even Lewis hadn't been able to get a word out of David, he eventually gave up on the idea.

...

The location of the basketball court was on the same route David and Nisen had taken when entering, so the two made their way there without difficulty.

They waited for about half an hour.

Then, from the right side of the road, Osborne led a group of more than a dozen black men towards them.

Soon after, the core members of the Zero Purchase Participants who had been in the house arrived on the scene with their own entourages.

Quickly, the entire basketball court was filled with people.

A rough count suggested that there were at least two to three hundred people present.

Seeing so many people, both David and Nisen felt a surge of excitement.

Based on the black tax of 400 US Dollars per head, the combined amount from everyone present would be at least in the tens of thousands of dollars.

While these tens of thousands seemed much less than the 396,000 dollars from yesterday,

one must remember that events like hijacking the cash transport vehicle were one-shot deals, and you wouldn't expect them to happen again.

After all, no matter how bold Anthony and his crew were, they surely wouldn't dare to do it a second time, would they?

Do they really think the casinos, the police departments, the FBI are here just for show?

But these African Americans before them were different.

Zero Dollar Shopping wasn't a one-time event; it was a means of survival for these people. Maybe not every day, but definitely several times a month.

In other words, every month, these individuals could potentially generate income from black taxes in the tens of thousands for the Internal Revenue Service when looking at the bigger picture.

This was far more valuable than the 396,000 dollars!

"Everyone, please quiet down and let the inspectors from the IRS say a few words!"

When they arrived, these African Americans were roughly informed about the situation, but naturally, they were all dissatisfied upon hearing that they would have to pay taxes to the IRS.

So upon reaching the scene here, although they didn't dare show any disrespect to David or Nisen, they looked at the two with various displeased and dissatisfied expressions.

"Cough cough!"

David cleared his throat and said, "I believe you are mostly aware of the situation, but let me go over it again, this is how it is..."

"..."

The African Americans at the scene were numerous and diverse, some of them quite defiant, as if they had nothing to lose.

So initially, many of them were unwilling to pay taxes; some even claimed they didn't get anything of value from their Zero Purchase activities in order to evade taxes.

However, as David used the inspection function of his golden finger to pin down the crimes committed by these ringleaders during this period, along with their profits, they all wilted.

In the end, it was quite simple. Just like how they dealt with Osborne and others before, by freezing their accounts and threatening to stop issuing benefits such as relief and unemployment aid, all African Americans had to comply honestly.

"Alright, it's getting late; let's get your money ready and head out. Our division's location is at 67 Monarch Avenue, don't go to the wrong place!"

After giving the final directive, David walked towards the community exit with Nisen, leaving behind a group of African Americans with lingering fears.

Of course, the most anxious of all were Osborne and those core members who had been inside the house.

It seemed that when David told them that the IRS could dig up the details of their other friends and family members who participated in the Zero Purchase activities, he wasn't bluffing at all.

Otherwise, when those few individuals had stepped forward earlier, David wouldn't have been able to list off as if on cue all the stores they had looted and the goods and profits they had obtained.

But fortunately, they had followed David's instructions and brought their friends along, thereby securing some tax breaks for themselves.

If they had waited for David to come to them, they wouldn't have gotten anything at all!

For a moment, Osborne and those core members felt extremely grateful for the decision they had just made.

"What are you standing around for, didn't you hear what the inspector said? Hurry up and prepare the taxes you need to pay; let's go to the IRS and be good citizens!"

Osborne's shout made the African Americans at the scene disperse in an instant.