American Tax Officer

Secondly, while Disney is indeed powerful, that's in comparison to The Walt Disney Company as a whole; Disney Film Industry is just one subsidiary of the group. How could they have the authority to decide on something as major as lobbying Congress?

"As I said before, lobbying doesn't necessarily have to succeed. As long as you put the word out, the tax authorities will definitely get nervous. After all, you have the 'Mickey Mouse Act' precedent, and they will be wary. If they're wary, then we can have a proper discussion. Both sides could make concessions, and that's not necessarily a bad thing,"

As Raymond finished speaking, the representatives of the other major companies looked moved. From their perspective, his words did seem to hold some reason.

In fact, by now, they were willing to make some concessions to the Western Suburb Branch.

But the premise was that David wouldn't blow this matter out of proportion, affecting their company's market value and stock prices, and also that the penalty they'd receive wouldn't be so severe as to bleed them dry.

"I think we could try this method,"
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"Hmm, I agree,"

"..."

Seeing that the representatives of the major companies were voicing their support one after another, Raymond grew more confident. He looked at Okonji, whose expression had darkened slightly, and said, "Mr. Okonji, the Western Suburb Branch is currently investigating your group's acquisition of Fox. If you wait any longer and they gather more evidence, it'll be too late for you to lobby Congress!"

His words also implicitly meant that since this issue stemmed from the acquisition of Fox by Disney, it was only right for Disney to take the lead for everyone!

Okonji understood this clearly, and inwardly he was cursing, but he had no way to refute it.

Because at that moment, not only did Raymond's words have the support of the other major film companies, but lobbying Congress was also something only Disney had the capacity to do; the other companies, even if they wished, couldn't do it.

There was also another point—currently, there seemed to be no other option to try. Otherwise, they'd just have to sit tight and wait for the Western Suburb Branch to knock on their door!

"Mr. Okonji, there's no need to rush your reply. To put it strongly, this counts as a crisis for the entire Walt Disney Company. I think you should talk it over with your high-level executives,"

Of course, Raymond knew that such a major matter couldn't possibly be decided by Okonji alone, as the vice president of just one subsidiary.

"You don't need to tell me how to do my job. I'll say it upfront—if you want us at Disney to lobby Congress, the funds required won't be a small amount. There's no way we can cover it alone. You don't have any objections, right?"

Raymond knew that these people intended to use Disney as a sacrificial pawn, so naturally, he would make these guys bleed a little to make it more bearable.

The representatives of the major film companies exchanged glances, and ultimately Raymond spoke, "Fine, as long as you can persuade your high-level executives to lobby, we at Paramount are willing to shoulder a part of the necessary funds."

"We at Migaomei (MGM) are also willing to shoulder a part,"

"We at Warner are willing to contribute as well,"

"..."

...

While the eight major film companies were conspiring in secret, at the Western Suburb Branch, Director David was likewise instructing his subordinates on their tasks.

"Lewis, Tax Investigator, establish an independent investigation team to look into Disney's acquisition of Fox. Also, bring me all the regulatory personnel who were responsible for that acquisition deal!"

"Bucky, spread the word that the Western Suburb Branch has officially started the tax scrutiny of Hollywood. All film companies or studios that report their tax 'oversights' voluntarily—if they come to us in good faith, we'll grant them amnesty and confidentiality."

"Nisen, you lead people..."

"..."

Upon receiving their instructions, everyone nodded and then turned to leave.

In the days that followed, the Western Suburb Branch operated like a machine running at full capacity, conducting investigations 24 hours a day on various companies, studios, and numerous individuals in Hollywood.

With major media outlets trailing the story, the hot topic of "Hollywood Tax Scrutiny" frequented the top news across various social media platforms.

"Good day, this is the Los Angeles Times. It has been 5 days since the last hearing of the big shots. In these five days, the Western Suburb Branch has made no further moves. Let's see when Director David will 'strike' again!"

"Hello, dear viewers, this is BBC. Today marks the fifth day since the Western Suburb Branch formally announced the commencement of tax scrutiny in Hollywood. According to the information we have, no film company in Hollywood has yet come forward to report voluntarily to the Western Suburb Branch. Let's see what happens next!"

"..."

Although the Western Suburb seemed calm on the surface, both the media and the audience were very aware that this was just the calm before the storm.

Firstly, at the last hearing, the Western Suburb Branch had revealed that Disney's tax dealings in the acquisition of Fox Film Corporation might have issues, and there's no outcome for that yet.

Secondly, five days ago, the Western Suburb Branch issued a notice for all the major film companies in Hollywood to come in for tax reporting, but none have shown up to date, leaving only two possibilities.

The first possibility is that for all these years, there hasn't ever been a single case of tax omission among any of the film companies in Hollywood.

The second possibility is that all the major film companies have unified their front and planned to take a stand against the Western Suburb Branch!

To any discerning observer, the first option is practically impossible, leaving only the second outcome—that the major film companies have indeed banded together to challenge the Western Suburb Branch.

Now, there's a show to watch!