FADE IN:
INT. STUDY - DAY
A table clock displays 01:50. PETER works with tired eyes in the midst of files and papers.
PETER (V.O.)
I want to achieve my
work target and beat
a deadline. And I
want to attend a tax
seminar too.
INT. LECTURE THEATER - DAY
A few souls. Peter sits close to the podium. A SPEAKER (50s) speaks from his chair.
SPEAKER
As some of you might
not be tax specialists, I'll
start with the fundamentals.
PETER (V.O.)
Great. I should be able
to follow.
MONTAGE OF PETER'S LEARNING INTEREST
A/ INT- BOOK STORE - DAY
Peter (20s) stares at book titles in the Philosophy section.
B/ INT. STUDY - NIGHT
Peter (20s) studies at a desk. Books on Logic, Knowledge, Ethics, Politics and Religion.
C/ INT. HKPolyU LIBRARY - DAY
Peter (20s) reads volumes if the Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
D/ INT. HKU Law Library - DAY
Peter reads books on Jurisprudence.
END MONTAGE
PETER
Although I was lack of means
in my teens, I liked to learn
something other than money
in my 20s. I didn't earn much
and didn't pay much tax.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.)
When I first became a home
owner at the age of 29, I
realized how heavy was the
financial burden. If I had
more money, it would enable
me to have less constraints.
FLASHBACK
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Peter (50s) chats with a group of INTERNS.
PETER
If you want to earn lots of
money quick, you should
specialize in areas
facilitating your clients to
get more money,like
Corporate Financing, or to
pay less tax, like International
Taxation.
END FLASHBACK
PETER (Cont'd)
Yes, circumstances impact
on my values at different
stages of life.
The Speaker continues to speak.
SPEAKER
The slide represents a French
Enterprise having a Hong
Kong company to hold its
IP portfolios.
PETER (V.O.)
That's interesting. Hong Kong's
simple tax regime is still
attractive.
The Speaker continues.
PETER (V.O.)
He also covers transfer pricing
of IP through centralized and
decentralised business models.
Peter examines a slide on the screen.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
I see... That's how it works in
the real world. How about
the virtue world?
SPEAKER
...It's still a paradise. OECD
has just begun addressing the
tax challenges in the digital
economy...
The SPEAKER then engages with the MODERATOR sitting next to him.
SPEAKER
What's your take on this?
MODERATOR
Many questions, but no
solutions.
After a brief Q & A Session, the seminar ends.
PETER (V.O.)
Okay, a useful update.
INT. STUDY - NIGHT
Peter researches with his phone. We see on the screen the OECD icon and words in bold type "Addressing The Tax Challenge of the Digitization of the Economy".
PETER (V.O.)
Taxing cyberspace platform
proprietors and users of a
percentage of their profit margin
for the real world economy is
understandable. What I'm really
interested in is OECD's analysis
of the drivers that make digitized
businesses having a big profit
margins.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
There's the belief that if one
can fix a problem with money,
then it's not really a problem
at all.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
When I had mortgages to
pay, I needed to borrow
money to solve my tax
problem. Since I have
paid off all my mortgages,
I feel free and have more
control of my life.
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
And if I can derive a profit
margin in royalties out of
my digitized copyright
works, I don't mind paying
tax to the world out of
my participation in the
digital economy!
DAYDREAM SEQUENCE
A/ Peter and everyone in cyberspace have their unique digital identifiers.
B/ Views of Peter's digitized works such as reviews, photos, music-videos continue to grow digitally.
C/ Social network platforms proprietors remunerate Peter with their cryptocurrencies like slot machines that have gone crazy.
D/ Peter notes that cyberspace tax has already been withheld by the decentralized blockchain-based Cyberspace Tax Authority.
E/ The Cyberspace Tax Authority shares the revenue from cyber tax with all economies!
END DAYDREAM SEQUENCE
PETER (V.O.)
Wouldn't that be the solution
to the problem?
Pausing.
PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd)
When will I pay cyber tax?
Peter smiles.
FADE OUT. The End