V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:LS/v34;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

LETTER TO V. M. MOLOTOV
Comrade Molotov. For members of the Politbureau
March 3, 1922

The theses of the People's Commissariat for Finance (basic propositions of the financial programme) are, in my opinion, not bad, but theoretical.

One point (the beginning of § 12) I am elucidating separately and will write to you about it separately.

For the rest I propose: to submit them for the opinion of the State Planning Commission. Then to publish them with cuts (to omit for the time being the replacement of the tax in kind by a money tax, etc.).

As to the essence of the matter, the crux, in my opinion, lies in two things:

1) how to find intelligent and ferocious people for hounding all the People's Commissariats (plus the Moscow and Petrograd Soviets): cut down staffs in practice and ruthlessly;

2) how to teach our bureaucratic "trading" organisations (including the People's Commissariat for Foreign Trade, the Moscow Trade Organisation, the Petrograd Trade Organisation, etc., etc.) to trade and not to red-tape.

Would it not be well to instruct the Presidium of the All-Russia Central Executive Committee to adopt a decision:

All People's Commissariats plus the Moscow and Petrograd Soviets undertake to submit within a week a draft decision on transferring employees (all those connected with the economy) to a system of tantiemes on turnover and profits, with severe penalties for losses, sluggishness and negligence, and with the obligation to answer trade inquiries within 3 to 6 hours under penalty of imprisonment for not less than 5 years.

For the best draft decision—a prize of 100,000 gold rubles, to be paid after a year's test of the success of this decision, the percentage of success (100% equals 100% of the prize, 1% of success equals 1% of the prize).

Lenin