V. I.

Lenin

661

LETTER TO THE POLITBUREAU OF THE R.C.P.(B.) C.C. WITH REMARKS ON THE THESES OF THE PEOPLE’S COMMISSAR FOR FINANCE

To Comrade Molotov for the Politbureau members

March 3, 1922

Sokolnikov’s theses (“Basic Provisions of the Financial
Programme”) are, I think, not bad, but on the theoretical side.

I am making a special study of one point (beginning of
§ 12) and shall write about it separately.

For the rest, I propose: submit for opinion to the State
Planning Commission, Preobrazhensky and Krasnoshchekov.
Then print with cuts ( for the time being throw out the point
on substituting the cash tax for the tax in kind, etc.).

Now, on the substance of the matter. I think these two things are pivotal:

1) how to find fierce and clever men for harassing all
the People’s Commissariats (plus the Moscow, plus the
Petrograd Soviets): reduce staffs in practice and severely;

2) how to teach our bureaucratic “ torgs ” (including the
People’s Commissariat for Foreign Trade, Mostorg, Petrotorg, etc., etc.) to trade instead of engaging in red tape.

Perhaps we should authorise the All-Russia C.E.C.
Presidium to adopt this decision:

All People’s Commissariats plus the Moscow and
Petrograd Soviets shall have the duty to submit within a week
a draft decision transferring their staffs (all who are
connected with economics) to percentage payments from turnover and from profits, with fierce penalties for losses,
flabbiness and bungling, and with the obligation to reply
to commercial inquiries within 3–6 hours, under penalty
of prison terms of not less than 5 years.

For the best draft decision—a prize of 100,000 gold rubles, to be paid after a year’s successful trial of the
decision, so that payment is proportional to the success (100%
success == 100% prize, 1% success == 1% prize).

Lenin

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