Reminding all the agencies of their personal stake in local prosperity, a deputy mayor once declared at a meeting, “Do not forget that taxes paid by our enterprises are closely and personally connected to your benefits. Taxes collected go toward paying your allowances. So serve our enterprises well!”73 As the tax base grew, the city government could better afford to pay the bureaucracy higher budgets and salaries and thereby reduce their reliance on extracting fees and fines.
Higher tax base means btter allowances for bureaucrats
