Hearing a knock on the door, a tall white man walked up enthusiastically.

"Hey man, can I help you?"

"I'd like to inquire about collecting my lottery ticket."

"Okay. Are you a U.S. citizen, resident alien, or nonresident alien? ”

"I am Chinese"

"Oh, okay. Tickets can be claimed in one lump sum or over 20 years. ”

"Is there any difference?" Shi Lei felt a little complicated.

"Of course. If you receive it at once, you will be charged lottery taxes, and if you are Chinese, you will be charged 30% of the national tax. If you receive it in 20 years, you don't need it. The lottery official patiently explained.

"You'd better consult with your lawyer or financial advisor, they can provide better advice. In fact, you don't need to worry, you have a 2-month hesitation period to think about the way to claim it, and your winning ticket is valid for 1 year after the lottery is drawn. Seeing that Shi Lei was scratching his head, the official kindly offered Jian Yiyi.

"Well, I think you're right. I think I should go and find a suitable lawyer for myself first. Shi Lei frowned, as if there were still many things to consider.

"Yes. If it's the first time you're looking for a lawyer, I think you can find a Chinese barrister. You know, there's no shortage of Chinese people in Los Angeles, and there are lawyers who work specifically for Chinese people. The white official reminded carefully.

"Okay. Thank you. Then I'll go first, bye-bye. ”

"Good luck. Good bye. The white officer waved his hand and sat back in his place.

Shi Lei took the door, walked quickly to the door of the city hall, said goodbye to the enthusiastic registration of the ** taxi, and then walked to the side of the road, ready to recruit a taxi.

As soon as I raised my hand, I saw a taxi suddenly stop next to it, and then there was a rhythmic voice like rap: "Hey, man." We're meeting again, where are you going? Come on, Roger Rabbit is at your service, fast and safe. Come on. ”

Waiting for Shi Lei to fasten his seat belt, Roger stepped on the accelerator and went down, and the taxi rushed out.

"Hi. I'll just say that we are brothers of different races, and God doesn't want us to continue to separate. We just met again after a short separation. As he spoke, Roger measured a small distance with two fingers.

"Oh, by the way, where are you going?"

"Thankfully, you still know how to send people to a place instead of pulling them and running away. But this guy should know where to find the right lawyer, right? Shi Lei thought to himself.

"I want to find a lawyer who is good at taxation and the like, preferably one who can speak Chinese."

"No problem. There's a Quinn law firm in front of you, and a lot of rich people in Los Angeles are looking for lawyers from this law firm to file their taxes for them, you know, the IRS, the guys who are better than the FBI, and these shrewd guys can fight with them.

And Quinn has a lot of Chinese lawyers, and many Chinese who come to Los Angeles with Beijing pounds will go there to find a lawyer. Of course, good goods must have a good price. ”

After Roger finished speaking, he habitually made a money gesture of rubbing his fingers. It's just that if you don't have a lewd smile, isn't it better, you look like you're buying ** with you.

"Okay, let's go there."

"Okay, sit down, let you see my rabbit Roger's technique." Under the bombardment of Roger's machine-gun-like language, he soon came to Quinn's law firm, which had a big face.

From Roger's mouth, Shi Lei knows a lot about Quinn Law Firm, for example, this firm is one of the three top 100 law firms in the United States in the greater Los Angeles area, and its clients include many Hollywood stars and politicians. Of course, it's also one of the best in Los Angeles.

After seeing Roger follow the rabbit of fire and run away again, Shi Lei cleaned up his mood and walked into the office.

Came to the front desk, and there was a young blonde beauty sitting inside. This is much better looking than the aunt of the city hall. Civil servants in the United States are not as popular as they are in China. Since they all live on wages the same, why not go to a big company that pays better? What's more, in the magical country of the United States, the government will also go bankrupt like a company. Therefore, most of the beautiful and capable beauties are in major companies.

This beauty's badge has Ross written on it (well, just looked at the name on the badge, 34D, ** Bian Shenma is absolutely not seen). Under the guidance and introduction of this enthusiastic lady Luosi, Shi Lei finally came to a large spacious office on the second floor.

Sitting inside is Jack Lee, a Chinese barrister who is said to be very famous and highly regarded in the greater Los Angeles area, especially in the Chinese world, a successful person who can be used as an inspirational model (in fact, Franklin, who has written a book about his life experience and made a lot of money, has indeed inspired many people).

After a few brief greetings, Shi Lei decided to go straight to the topic. Because Shi Lei noticed that after the conversation began, Lawyer Jack Lee pressed a device similar to a timer, and such a barrister is charged according to time even if it is just a simple consultation, and a few more words may be gone for a few hundred US dollars.

"I'd like to ask you about lottery prizes and taxes paid by foreigners in Los Angeles." Shi Lei said directly in Chinese. Because this Jack Lee lawyer was previously a native Chinese. Shi Lei felt that it was easier to express himself clearly in Chinese, and it was also convenient for him to understand the situation. And Jack Lee's Chinese is not abandoned, because most of his main customers are Chinese or Chinese who have just come from China.

Hearing Shi Lei start to get down to business, Jack Lee took out a gold-plated Parker pen and a notebook with a well-made black leather cover, and after jotting down some of Shi Lei's basic information, he looked up and signaled that Shi Lei could continue.

So Shi Lei introduced his winning process and the process of going to the lottery bureau to Jack Lee in detail, and then raised his doubts about taxes and other aspects.

After recording Shi Lei's experience and questions in detail, Jack Lee raised his head to face Shi Lei and asked sternly, "Mr. Shi Lei, there are a few questions I need to confirm with you." ”

"Okay, you can say it." Seeing Jack Lee's expression, Shi Lei also became serious.

"Did you buy your ticket yourself or with someone else?" Jack Lee asked.

"Of course I bought it myself."

"Did you write your name on the back of the ticket or take a picture?" Jack Lee continued to ask as he recorded.

"Yes, the picture is on my phone." Shi Lei said as he pulled up a photo of the signed lottery ticket on his phone and handed it to Jack Lee.

"Okay, with this, you'll be able to claim your winnings." Jack Lee looked at the photo carefully before handing the phone back to Shi Lei.

"So, do you want to get a green card and immigrate to the United States? Do I need to get it before claiming my prize? Jack Lee continued to ask.

"I have plans to become a rancher in the United States, but I don't have to do it before receiving the award. Well...... Is there a big difference? "Shi Lei really didn't understand the difference between them, so he wanted to figure it out.

"Well, if you are a non-resident foreigner before claiming the prize, and you choose to receive the prize in one lump sum, you will be charged 30% of the lottery tax, which is the national tax, when you claim the prize. There are no lottery state taxes in California. Moreover, thanks to the cooperation between China and the United States in a series of economic fields, the United States does not levy personal income tax on Chinese who spend no more than 183 days in the United States in a year," Jack said, drawing a diagram.

"Then, in this case, you only need to pay 30% of the national tax, and you can go back to China with the remaining 70%." As he spoke, Jack Lee filled in the results column of the diagram with the words "70% of the prize" ×.

"If you already have a green card or are a U.S. citizen before receiving the prize, you only need to pay 25% of the lottery tax, and you don't need to pay the California government lottery tax, but you need to pay personal income tax, and personal income tax is divided into national tax and state tax. Among them, the Gwangju tax, because your annual income has exceeded $372,951, the tax rate is 35%, of course, it is not yet April 15 - the day of filing the individual income tax, the specific amount to be paid is still uncertain. Jack Lee said as he gestured on the diagram.

"Another point to note is that no matter which form you choose, this bonus does not allow you to directly obtain a green card or become a U.S. citizen in the form of investment immigration, because this bonus comes from within the United States in the final analysis, so it cannot be counted as foreign investment.

Of course, with this money, it is certainly possible to get these things. Is this a capitalist country, it is easy to do things with money. Jack Lee raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

Shi Lei thought about it for a while and understood that if he received the bonus as a foreigner, he would have to deduct 30% at the first level, which looked nearly 30 million US dollars more than the 25% with a green card, but if you think about it carefully, personal income tax is the big one. Therefore, taking 70% of the prize money home properly is the last word. As for getting a green card, running a ranch or the like, it is certainly not a problem to have a US knife to open the way.

As for the way to receive 20 million US dollars a year and receive it for 30 consecutive years, it seems that it is good not to deduct money, but can the 20 million US dollars in 30 years be compared with now? Just think about the difference between 10 yuan in China 30 years ago and 10 yuan now. What's more, if you have the ability to optimize animals, you can raise any kind of animal, and the income is not comparable to these 20 million.

So, no matter what way you look at it, it's best to bring back the bonus in one go.

"I'll get the full prize at once. Just get a green card or something, just get it back and do it again. Shi Lei raised his head and said to Jack Lee.

"Okay, is there anything else I can help with?" Jack Lee looked at his watch.

"Yes, I want you to help me go with me to claim the prize, on the one hand, I am not familiar with the laws of the United States, and on the other hand, I want my identity to be kept secret," Shi Lei said with a little expectation.

"Absolutely. California does not require the disclosure of winners. Jack Lee said and looked at his watch.

"I have time now, shall we go to the lottery now?"

"Of course." Shi Lei stood up as he spoke, ready to go out.

"Wait a minute, you have to sign an agency contract for me, and I have the right to help you with these things." As he spoke, Jack Lee printed out the revised bilingual contract in Chinese and English and handed it to Shi Lei.

Shi Lei touched his nose embarrassedly, sat down and picked up the contract and looked at it carefully. Except for the price code, which made Shi Lei feel that the price of this product was really expensive, there was nothing wrong with the others. After confirming that it was correct, he signed his name.

"Alright, let's go." Jack Lee took the contract and put it away, then picked up the suit and walked out with Shi Lei.

"By the way, you didn't drive, did you?" Jack Lee asked.

Seeing Shi Lei nodded, Jack Lee said, "Then you go to the front door and wait, I'll drive." As he spoke, he walked towards the parking lot.