"Little Chen, you can rest assured about this. The workers at Jinling Radio Factory, those state-owned factory workers, will be willing to work overtime for extra money."
"I will arrange for Xiao Liu from the Jianye District Administration for Industry and Commerce to meet with the factory director of the third plant of Jinling Radio Factory, and have him help you out."
"As for the shops, Jinling Department Store has three buildings. You can choose whichever you like. I will definitely arrange the best and most conspicuous shop for you. This is under my direct jurisdiction, and I can guarantee it."
"However, there's one thing: the rent and commercial tax you pay will be the same as in Anhui Province. You can't come here and bargain."
Zhao Weimin looked at Chen Yang. For a leader, promoting the development of the individual economy was primarily driven by the tax revenue that Chen Yang could bring to the local government.
Secondly, by establishing Chen Yang as a benchmark, it could encourage more people who were still hesitant to boldly start small businesses.
Only by expanding the scale of the individual economy could the market become active and productivity be liberated.
On this point, Zhao Weimin was much more insightful than many others.
On the battlefield, he was initially the captain of a reconnaissance unit, possessing keen observational skills.
During the War of Resistance, he attended the Anti-Japanese University in a cave dwelling. Unlike ordinary demobilized cadres, he was among those with knowledge and culture. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was even sent to study in Moscow.
However, his experience was also his undoing. Because of this period, his career had not been smooth in recent years, as relations with the Soviet Union were not good during this time.
Many of his former subordinates had been promoted, while he remained stagnant for over a decade.
If he hadn't been careful with his words and actions, his fate might have been even worse.
Now that he was not far from retirement, Zhao Weimin didn't have many aspirations for promotion. He just wanted to do something substantial before stepping down.
To realize the ideals and ambitions of his youth and truly advocate for the people.
It was worth noting that before entering the Anti-Japanese University, his name was Zhao Titou. After being influenced by the revolution, his name was changed to Zhao Weimin.
In Chen Yang, he finally saw hope for doing something practical for his country and for the impoverished common people.
"Director Zhao, with your words, I am at ease."
"Then we will go back and discuss it, and come up with a plan tomorrow. We will trouble you to arrange for the specific responsible leader to liaise with us."
"With your help, I will definitely open Jinling's first Meng Hui radio store as soon as possible. I plan to open at least one store a month this year, striving to cover all counties and districts in Jinling soon."
"Subsequently, I want to set up factories in Jinling. I want to solve the problem of surplus labor around Jinling, such as educated youths returning to the countryside like myself, and demobilized soldiers like my brother Baoguo."
"And the farmers in the surrounding townships, they can also work during the slack season to earn some income to supplement their families."
"These can all be good workers. Giving them a job to live on is also a contribution we make to the people of our hometown."
Chen Yang seized the opportunity. He had the intention to open a factory last year, but even Zou Chenguang dared not make the final decision.
If Jinling took a bigger step and Zhao Weimin dared to approve it for him, and the factory could be built, even with just one production line, the simplest production line.
Chen Yang would be very happy!
Because allowing factories to be built was definitely a milestone leap in the process of reform and opening up.
In the future, when people talked about China's economic development history, Chen Yang's name would be indispensable.
The general direction could not be changed, but speeding up the small details was entirely feasible.
This could be seen from the attitude of so many local leaders towards the individual economy. In his previous life, the attitude towards the individual economy at this time was not so friendly.
And all of this was brought about by Chen Yang.
His move of collecting commercial tax from individual industrial and commercial households based on their operating income was a strong boost that directly hit the hearts of the senior leaders.
Chen Yang proved through his practice that the individual economy could contribute to the local government and the country. Although the commercial tax paid by one entity might not seem like much, what about ten, a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand entities?
China's small-scale peasant economy and handicraft industry were developed. If taxes were collected from small hawkers, the country's tax revenue could significantly increase.
However, in later generations, the main tax revenue came from enterprises. Large enterprises paid far more taxes than these small vendors, and it was impossible to supervise the operating income of small vendors. The time and effort required to collect them would be immeasurable.
Compared to most small vendors who were just making a living, large enterprises were the main force of taxpayers. It could be said that they had already paid taxes on behalf of these individual business owners at the source of production.
"Chen Yang, I like you more and more, young man."
"Too many idle people are not only detrimental to social stability and security but also a great waste of labor."
"What we need to do now is to liberate productivity and develop the economy. If Jinling had ten, a hundred enterprises like yours, I can guarantee that the living standards of the people of Jinling would greatly improve."
"I will consider this matter, but you must first make the individual industrial and commercial households in Jinling famous. Then I can report to the higher-ups. Rest assured, I, Zhao Weimin, still have some influence in Jiangsu Province."
Zhao Weimin looked at Chen Yang. He had studied in Moscow and researched the economic construction of some Western countries, as well as compared the industrialization development history of the Soviet Union.
The industrial foundation and infrastructure construction of our country were too backward.
It was impossible to achieve it overnight. Our only advantage was our large labor population and our hardworking and brave people.
As long as they were provided with enough job opportunities, they could earn higher incomes through their hard work.
Zhao Weimin had pondered this problem long ago: why couldn't farmers work in state-owned factories, why was labor the same?
Farmers worked themselves to death all year round, and the money they earned from work points at the end of the year was even less than a city worker's monthly salary.
Was all this fair?
And what method should be used to balance these disparities?
There were only so many state-owned factories, and city dwellers were scrambling to get in. How could farmers from the countryside get a chance?
Zhao Weimin felt that he was standing at a crossroads. He knew which path was uphill.
This path might be very difficult, but it was definitely upward and for the better!
"Director Zhao, with your words, I am at ease."
"I will definitely make Meng Hui radios available in every county and district of Jinling as soon as possible."
Chen Yang's heart surged. He must establish a factory!
With a factory and a production line, he could produce his own products. Even if it was just producing the simplest electric fan, it would be his own!
Sudan Novel Network