Tax Audit

Meanwhile, Hai Lu Feng Company had brought in a total of 40.37 million yuan in revenue in December 2024 alone, bringing its full-year revenue for the previous year to 140 million yuan.

However, because Jiang Miao had splurged at the end of the year, the company's net profit was left at only 57.31 million yuan.

That net profit was still quite respectable, and it had contributed 20.05 million yuan in tax revenue to the local area.

At the Tax Bureau's inspection division in the city district,

tax auditors were reviewing the relevant documents Ye Meijing had brought over.

"Your company is a sole proprietorship, so the legal representative must pay personal income tax at 35% of the annual net profit...

Your declared annual net profit is 57,311,251 yuan, and the tax payable is 20,058,937 yuan. Please sign after confirming that everything is correct."

Ye Meijing nodded. "I confirm that everything is correct."

She signed the declaration form to confirm it.

Not long after Ye Meijing left,

the tax auditor went to the section chief's office.

"Chief Li, this company has declared a relatively large amount, and it is also in its first year of operation. Please take a look at it."

Li Ke immediately took the declaration materials.

The reason he attached such importance to it was simple: in the Hai Lu Feng area, only twenty-four companies had paid more than 10 million yuan in taxes for the whole of 2023.

Hai Lu Feng Agricultural Technology Company's tax payment of 20.05 million yuan could rank around fourteenth in the entire city.

The Hai Lu Feng Tax Bureau paid special attention to every company that paid more than 1 million yuan in taxes, let alone one that had suddenly paid 20.05 million yuan.

"Uh? This is a sole proprietorship too? It was registered in May last year? Its main business is eel farming? Annual revenue of 140 million yuan?" Li Ke was utterly bewildered.

When he saw the financial statements, he was even more stunned. In just four months, this company had generated 140 million yuan in revenue.

The auditor reminded him, "The company has registered quite a few employees as well."

Li Ke looked at the employee salary expenditure and found that Hai Lu Feng Company did indeed employ quite a lot of people—a total of 112, all formal employees with full social insurance coverage.

"These wages are pretty good! Even the security guards get 3,500 yuan, plus a year-end bonus of 3,500 yuan and a 1,000-yuan disability allowance."

"They handed out nearly 3 million yuan in year-end bonuses and salaries alone. They really are generous!"

Li Ke thought for a while. "How about this? I'll personally lead a team there for an inspection tomorrow."

At Hai Lu Feng Company's headquarters,

all the employees were beaming with joy.

Because the company had paid out bonuses.

Among them, the twenty-one people in the Sales Department received particularly high year-end bonuses. Nearly all of them got more than 30,000 yuan, and with sales performance bonuses and base salaries included, each person took home more than 50,000 yuan.

Then there was the Eel Farming Base. Zhang Xincheng, Jiang Miao's brother-in-law, received a year-end bonus of 100,000 yuan. The eight technicians each received around 20,000 yuan, while the fourteen ordinary employees received between 5,000 and 8,000 yuan.

Next came the company's other departments. Clerks received roughly 10,000 to 20,000 yuan, while department supervisors received 30,000 to 50,000 yuan.

The Canned Food Factory was much the same. Li Xinhua received a year-end bonus of 30,000 yuan. The three technicians and three team leaders each received 20,000 yuan, while ordinary employees received the same as those at the Eel Farming Base.

As for the newly established South Lake Farm, the employees there only received a token 3,500 yuan.

Jiang Miao knew that paying people was the foremost strategy for winning a company's employees over. Everything else came second.

If a company spent all day selling employees empty promises and talking about ideals while their pay and benefits never changed, the employees were not fools. Sooner or later, they would catch on.

After all, a company was a company. It could not attract believers through methods akin to religion.

Or rather, money was the faith of a company. If it wanted employees to support it, then paying them well was an indispensable method.

As for those entrepreneurs who supposedly built their businesses on personal charisma, if they had no money, their personal charisma would most likely be useless too.

Of course, with online remote livestock farming being so developed nowadays, there was no shortage of workhorses who worshipped and believed in entrepreneurs. Perhaps distance really did make the heart grow fonder.

After Jiang Miao scattered the money around, the company employees were full of drive, as if they had been pumped full of adrenaline, and their work efficiency improved considerably.

Besides directly handing out money, the company also gave every employee two sets of decent winter clothes for free, along with one case each of Eel Canned Food from the inventory.

Since the company served all kinds of eel dishes every few days, all the employees had become rather unwilling to eat Eel Canned Food whenever they saw it.

Still, the good thing was that they could mail it home.

January 8.

Jiang Miao and Lin Shuya had just arrived at the company when they ran into Chief Li and the others, who had come to conduct the tax inspection.

"Chairman, this is Director Li from the Tax Bureau. They need to inspect our finances from last year." Ye Meijing hurriedly explained.

Jiang Miao shook hands with Chief Li.

"Hello, I'm Jiang Miao."

"So you're President Jiang. I'm Li Yunbo. Here is my work ID." As Chief Li spoke, he presented his identification before continuing,

"We came to inspect your taxes this time because your company has become a major taxpayer in Shanmei. The higher-ups attach great importance to this, so I personally led the team here. If everything is in order, our bureau will also give your company an award."

Jiang Miao smiled and nodded, then turned and instructed, "Meijing, cooperate with Director Li during the inspection."

"Understood, Chairman. I'll cooperate fully." Although Ye Meijing was somewhat nervous, she knew the company's finances were impeccable and there had been no tax evasion whatsoever.

"Then thank you for your cooperation, President Jiang." Chief Li made no other moves.

"Director Li, this is my business card." Jiang Miao handed him a card, then changed the subject. "I studied under an old Chinese physician for a few years. Director Li, your complexion seems a little off. Would it be convenient for you to sit down and let me take your pulse?"

"Oh?" Chief Li did not know what Jiang Miao was up to, so he pointed at the table and chairs in the reception area. "Let's take a look right here."

"Sure."

The two sat down. Jiang Miao held the artery at the other man's wrist and had him stick out his tongue, then his brows furrowed tightly.

"Director Li, you need to go to Shenshan Hospital as soon as possible. Register directly with hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, and have the doctor focus on examining your pancreas. The sooner, the better."

"Is it that serious?" Chief Li was startled as well.

"Yes. It is most likely pancreatic cancer. This disease progresses extremely fast. You are only in the early stages now, but in a few months, it could be terminal."

Gulp! Cold sweat broke out across Chief Li's body, and he hurriedly asked, "How is pancreatic cancer treated?"

Jiang Miao solemnly reminded him, "You can only arrange surgery to remove it as soon as possible. Don't believe in folk remedies or anything like that. Once you miss these few golden months, there will be no turning back. Pancreatic cancer is the king of cancers."

Chief Li was frightened, but he still had his doubts. He could only force a laugh and say, "Thank you for the reminder, President Jiang. I'll make time to visit the hospital tomorrow."

Then he turned and instructed, "Xiao Zhang, Xiao Li, begin the inspection."

With Ye Meijing's cooperation, the tax inspection went very smoothly. Only Chief Li seemed distracted throughout, clearly worried about his health.

Before long, they even declined to stay for a meal and left in a hurry.

Watching the official vehicle speed away, Jiang Miao could only wish him well.

After all, pancreatic cancer was the king of cancers. If the man was admitted for treatment immediately, he would most likely still be saved. If he delayed for another few months, the treatment results would be very poor.

Watching Chief Li leave, along with the tax officials who followed Ye Meijing upstairs to the finance office, Lin Shuya asked curiously,

"Since when did you know traditional Chinese medicine?"

"I learned it over the past few years."

"But weren't you a little impulsive this time? What if it was a misdiagnosis?" Lin Shuya was worried.

Jiang Miao shook his head. "When I said most likely, I meant a 99.99% likelihood."

"So that Director Li really has pancreatic cancer?"

"Yes, but I can't say with absolute certainty that it is pancreatic cancer. I just hope he goes to the hospital as soon as possible. Pancreatic cancer can still be treated in its early stages. If he delays any longer, there will be no turning back." Jiang Miao shook his head.