Comments on the Article “Serious Violations of Policy in Tax Collection by the Shanghai Municipal Tax Authorities” (March 21, 1953) Comrade Bo Yibo: The Shanghai Tax Bureau should be thoroughly reorganized. Those who have committed serious violations of law and discipline should be dealt with appropriately, so as to take the initiative and avoid being denounced by capitalists and thereby being put in a passive position. Mao Zedong March 21 Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] This article appeared in the fourth issue of “Party Newspaper Correspondence,” published by the People’s Daily on March 18, 1953. The article stated that since the launch of the labor competition movement last year, the Shanghai Municipal Tax Bureau has repeatedly engaged in serious policy violations—such as advancing the collection of goods tax and business tax—in order to “complete the task” and “win the red flag.” Merchants have remarked: “You are conducting this labor competition for glory, while we are being forced to pay taxes ahead of time.” Even more seriously, some tax bureaus have resorted to illegal methods that violate human rights in order to forcibly collect taxes. Such conduct has aroused great discontent among merchants, with some openly denouncing the government in the marketplace. [2] Bo Yibo was at that time Deputy Director of the Financial and Economic Commission of the Administrative Council and Minister of Finance.