Hearing

A loosely packed container of fresh tobacco leaves—how much could the customs duty possibly be?

The same amount of tobacco leaves, after undergoing every processing step and being compressed together—how much customs duty would that incur?

The difference was huge, yet also tiny, because they were all "collectively referred to" as tobacco leaves.

The more Kolef and tobacco Every Moment sold in the Federation, the more tobacco they had to declare, and the more taxes they had to pay.

It might seem like...not a particularly huge number, but it was by no means small. At least several million in customs duties vanished along the border every year, disappearing as the regulations tightened and loosened.

Nothing had gone wrong before because no one had wanted to move against Every Moment, and a company worth more than a billion was not something an ordinary individual or organization could chew into.

Could the Federal Revenue Service really not know what they were doing?

Of course they knew. Even someone like Austin from the Anti-Smuggling Team knew what tricks Every Moment was playing. The Revenue Service definitely knew.

But knowing was one thing, and taking action was another. Investigating a Group Company of such immense size meant taking many issues into consideration.

For example, coordination between departments, and whether government officials supported the investigation.

Capitalists could use certain methods to push "temporary emergency bills" through. That was also the true reason many conglomerates never fell.

As long as the money was spent properly, it was like with the Duncan Family: whether or not you supported our views and ideas, take twenty thousand first. That was our sincerity.

Once they had taken the money, even if someone did not support it, they would not oppose it too obviously—unless they held a grudge.

Once the bill