American Tax Officer

"Director David, do you have confidence in upholding the authority of the Black Tax Bill tonight?"

"Director David, in tonight's heated debate, do you have the confidence to withstand the pressure from Senator Phipps?"

"Director David..."

Facing a barrage of media inquiries, David spread his palms downward and pressed them, then said, "It's too early to say anything now, let's just wait and see what happens."

After speaking, he glanced at Phipps not far away, and then both of them stepped into the television station.

The TV station staff who had been waiting there immediately took them to the ninth floor of the building, which was also the site of tonight's broadcast.

"Director David, I am the operating director of the station, my name is Thomas."

"Director David, I am the station master..."

"Senator Phipps, hello..."

"..."

Upon seeing the two arrive, the senior TV station executives hurried up to shake hands, take a photo, and exchange pleasantries.

Afterward, the two protagonists entered the makeup touch-up phase, waiting for the arrival of 7:15.

And in this interval, right next to the studio, some commentators arranged by the TV station were already in place.

These commentators, composed of retired officials and experts in body language and psychology.
Experience tales at empire

The retired officials were responsible for explaining the details of the debate topics to the audience in a short while, whereas the body language and psychology experts were in charge of analyzing the real-time mental states of the two.

Because in such a highly anticipated live broadcast, it is inevitable that during the heated debate, involuntary changes in expressions such as guilt, panic, and embarrassment will happen, and these experts could captivate those micro-expressions and explain them to provide a better show effect to the audience.

At the Washington D.C. Headquarters, with Obadiah Welton Heng at the helm, the senior IRS officials also gathered in the conference room, but at the moment the atmosphere seemed a bit frozen, everyone watching KTLA-TV with serious faces, waiting for the live broadcast to begin.

Apart from the Headquarters, the entire National Revenue Service system, all major branches, except for those who were engaged in tasks and truly could not leave, had also all stationed themselves in front of the television.

Because they knew that this debate was not only about the reputation of the entire Revenue Service but would also affect the extent of the power they wielded in the future.

If Phipps emerged victorious tonight, then the Black Tax Bill might be significantly shaken, which could lead to its repeal or reduction of authority proposed in Congress.

At this moment, they could only pray inwardly, hoping Director David would be able to withstand the pressure.

Naturally, apart from the Revenue Service, this major debate also attracted the attention of celebrities, commoners, and criminals from all over America.

All of them had prepared beer, peanuts, and sunflower seeds, eyes wide open waiting for the show to begin.

Under the gaze of the masses, the time finally came to 7 p.m. sharp.

"Senator Phipps, Director David, you can enter now!"

At the KTLA-TV live broadcast location, the makeup artists stopped touching up Phipps and David, and Thomas came over to prompt them.

The two nodded, checked their appearances in the mirror to make sure everything was in order, and strode directly into the live broadcast scene.

The setting on site was simple, just a square table with two chairs placed on either side of it.

As a politician who often needed to campaign, Phipps was naturally already well-versed in such situations, so after sitting down, his face immediately became self-assured, showing no signs of pressure.

Across from him, David, though not often participating in TV debates or being exposed to the scrutiny of so many under the spotlight, managed to stay calm and composed in the glare of the spotlight thanks to his confidence from overseeing tax affairs in a district, far from the small-time inspector he was before.

"Senator Phipps seems so confident, as if victory is already in his hands."

"Isn't that obvious? As a Congressman, Phipps is like a fish in water in these situations. It's like he's back at home."

"Director David's forte is after all tax collection, not debating. Will he really fall for Phipps' trap and embarrass himself later on?"

Amidst the web-wide discussions.

At the live broadcast site, Phipps took the lead and asked, "Director David, shall we get started then?"

David didn't speak, simply nodding his head to signal to begin.

"Since the Black Tax Bill was passed on December 3rd of last year, more than three months have passed. The initial intention of the bill was to increase national revenue, but according to many observers to date, the bill has significantly deviated from its original purpose. It seems to have become a tool for some IRS officials to suppress dissenters and assert their dominance.

Director David, as the spokesperson for the Black Tax Bill, how would you explain this point?"

The moment this was said, the internet instantly erupted.

Many thought Phipps would start off slowly, throwing out some topics to draw David out and then set the trap.

But who would have expected Phipps to come out swinging with such a heavy hitter from the get-go.

And his words, "suppressing dissenters" and "asserting dominance," weren't they taunting David for sending many officials to jail in Nevada and for being hard on the Human Rights Organization when he came to the Western Suburbs Branch?