|
Speaker
1: |
The
St. Petersburg tax service is celebrating its 10th birthday. Appropriately
enough, at the taxpayer's expense. As you can see, they've cut down on costs
by performing some of the acts themselves. |
|
Speaker
2: |
(singing). |
|
Speaker
1: |
Adjusting
to tax changes is rarely easy, so spare a thought for the Russian taxpayer
for whom the end of Communism meant a whole new raft of taxes and
bureaucrats. |
|
Speaker
2: |
(singing). |
|
Speaker
1: |
The
Tax Police spokesman explains their philosophy; a Russian version of
"float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." |
|
Speaker
3: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
4: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
5: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
Tax
inspectors, out on a sting in a poor area of St. Petersburg, taking their police
along for protection. |
|
Speaker
3: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
But
it turns out they don't need their guns. At this small vodka kiosk, they find
only one woman; an employee, not the owner, who hasn't done her paperwork. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
7: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
But
tax inspector [Seminohov] says it was worth it. |
|
Speaker
8: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
9: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
7: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
The
owner of the vodka kiosk cannot be found, and everyone from the adjoining
shops scarpered at the first sight of the inspectors. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
They
suspect this man hanging around outside of trafficking the bootlegged vodka, but
without hard evidence, the tax police settle for giving him a warning. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
10: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
10: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
10: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
10: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
10: |
[foeeign language]. |
|
Speaker
6: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
The
tax police was set up eight years ago to protect the inspectors from the
public who were angry about a new tax. It's a dangerous job. In one year here
in St. Petersburg, six tax police were kidnapped, 41 had their homes burnt
down, and 26 were killed. |
|
Speaker
3: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
Mostly
ex-military and ex-KGB, the tax police play to their tough guy image. Here,
they're staging a kidnapping for kids at a summer camp. It's a warm-up for a
show of their skills; including how to beat and choke reluctant taxpayers.
The kids are suitably impressed. |
|
Speaker
11: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
12: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
13: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
The
tax police admit they're doing this partly to attract young recruits.
[inaudible] says he won't be disappointed if they choose other careers. |
|
Speaker
3: |
[foreign
language]. |
|
Speaker
14: |
It
is most very beautiful. |
|
Speaker
15: |
And
would you like to do this job? |
|
Speaker
14: |
No,
because it is very dangerous. |
|
Speaker
15: |
Would
you like to be [foreign language]? |
|
Speaker
16: |
No.
No. I want to be an [foreign language]. |
|
Speaker
15: |
A
lawyer? |
|
Speaker
16: |
Or
a [foreign language]. |
|
Speaker
1: |
Even
if the kids don't join up, the inspectors hope they're winning over these
taxpayers of the future. |
|
Speaker
14: |
[foreign
language]. |