Jiang Ye's brow furrowed as he heard this, and he inwardly cursed himself for being foolish.
Indeed, a mere one million immigration tax was negligible if it could grant an extra century of lifespan.
Even setting aside the wealth that could be generated by living an extra hundred years, the sheer pricelessness of life was enough to attract people!
Seriously ill patients in hospitals might give up days or months of their lifespan to save tens of thousands of yuan. But if they could live for another century, the vast majority would undoubtedly be willing to bankrupt themselves!
In the vastness of the universe, the number of people who could afford a million was simply too numerous! The number of millionaires on many planets was in the hundreds of thousands or millions, and the total number of millionaires across the universe was likely more than the sand in a riverbed!
Even the current immigration applications were just the tip of the iceberg; once the news was confirmed, they would surge tenfold!
Su Yueming continued reading:
"Third, immigration loans. Immigration loans are a widespread, large-scale, and long-standing business across the universe, primarily serving to provide loans to those wishing to immigrate."
"On Jiang Ye Star, Bi Rong Star, and Exile Star, over one hundred and forty companies offer immigration loan services, with eighty of them being newly established businesses in the past ten days. Beyond that, immigration loan services from other planets are even more numerous. Under normal circumstances, the loan amount for immigration is around five hundred thousand, but the situation has recently changed, and many people can apply for loans with a limit of one million."
Jiang Ye's head began to ache. He had received reports about immigration loans before, but he hadn't expected the market to be so large.
"Fourth, the economic center theory," Su Yueming continued.
"The judgment of the think tank, along with the assessments of economists from various planets and public opinion, are consistent. Any planet designated as a pilot area for average lifespan reform will inevitably enter a period of ultra-high-speed economic development and easily become the economic center of a star region."
"Therefore, many people are attracted purely by wealth, much like how hearing that a fishing spot has many fish will draw a crowd of anglers. Some optimistic stowaways believe that once they arrive, even if they temporarily lack the funds to settle, the planet's economy will take off, and the entire planet will be filled with flowing gold and silver treasures. They could pay the immigration tax after working for a few years."
"There are even some alien enterprises where the boss brings dozens or hundreds of employees to migrate collectively. These individuals also bring a large number of family members. In addition to this, there are clan families migrating together, and such people are generally wealthy enough to pay the immigration tax."
Jiang Ye's headache intensified.
He remembered how he had gone to great lengths to attract foreign immigrants years ago.
And now, he was troubled by the sheer number of foreign immigrants.
"The think tank has also proposed several suggestions for your consideration," Su Yueming said.
"Read them."
"The first suggestion is to increase the intensity of immigration tax collection. It can be appropriately raised to over five million. Five million is a significant threshold, as a large proportion of people's assets are stuck at five million and cannot go higher."
"The think tank's explanation is that your current restriction on mass immigration is primarily due to concerns about the planet's population reaching saturation instantly and too many people bringing burdens and occupying resources. However, the wealthy are different. As long as they can afford the five million immigration tax, in terms of total resources, it can fully offset the resource consumption of one person."
Jiang Ye did not respond, signaling for her to continue.
"The second suggestion is to set up dual thresholds," Su Yueming looked at the folder.
"The first threshold is the immigration tax. What is the second threshold?" Jiang Ye paused for a second. "The lifespan extension surgery fee?"
"You are as insightful as ever," Su Yueming nodded. "The think tank's opinion is to publicly announce the cost of lifespan extension surgery and increase it appropriately, deterring some foreign immigrants and making them retreat."
"The think tank's explanation is that a widely circulated rumor among aliens is that lifespan extension surgery is free, which is why many people are scrambling to come. Upon learning of the fee, these individuals will automatically withdraw, which can greatly ease the situation. However, some people who value our planet's economic potential will still come even if they cannot afford the surgery fee. These people are driven and can easily become economic engines, so they should be retained."
"But this goes against the original intention," Jiang Ye shook his head. "If it's too expensive, and everyone can't afford the surgery, how can it be popularized? How can the average lifespan be increased?"
"However, the idea of multiple thresholds is feasible. I will think further about what those specific thresholds should be," Jiang Ye said. "A simple and crude increase in the surgery fee is not advisable."
Su Yueming nodded and continued reading:
"The think tank's final proposal is the diversion method."
"How to divert?" Jiang Ye asked.
"There are two types: internal diversion and external diversion," Su Yueming said. "Internal diversion means determining which citizens will receive surgery first, based on their date of immigration. Temporary immigrants will be placed at the end of the queue, which can alleviate the current surge of illegal immigration."
"External diversion is simpler: quickly take over a planet and send people there for development. They must work for a specified period or complete a certain work quota before qualifying for surgery."
Jiang Ye nodded repeatedly. "This is acceptable. Notify the think tank to come up with specific plans. We will have a meeting the day after tomorrow at three o'clock."
"Yes," Su Yueming placed the folder on the desk.
...
In the following days, Jiang Ye was immersed in a series of lengthy meetings.
The think tanks from Jiang Ye Star, Bi Rong Star, and Exile Star all came to meet with Jiang Ye. The opinions of various experts conflicted, and the meeting room was filled with heated arguments and sharp debates.
If it were a few years ago, Jiang Ye would have been overwhelmed, busy mediating the arguments among the think tank members, switching between stern and gentle approaches, striving to lead the meeting and guide the team towards the final outcome.
Now, Jiang Ye had honed his skills. He observed everything with a cold eye, letting the tigers fight while he sat on the mountain. Holding his small teacup and stylus, he listened silently for extended periods as the experts argued amongst themselves, like an expressionless Bixi statue. His attitude seemed detached from the meeting room, like a cold spectator in the audience.
But Jiang Ye was not standing by idly. He was simply too lazy to reveal his own stance, saving his brain cells for high-speed thinking and judgment.
Sometimes, as two groups of experts argued, Jiang Ye's eyes would suddenly light up, like embers glowing brightly when blown by the wind. Then, he would write a few lines on the screen in front of him, tap the table to signal a decision, and move on to the next issue.
Other times, while two groups of experts were spewing their opinions, Jiang Ye would suddenly speak a few words in a casual tone.
These few words often possessed immense power, cutting to the heart of the issue like a swift blade, leaving the think tank members stunned. The intense arguments would instantly cease.
The effect was akin to target practice at a shooting range. The think tank members fired wildly at the targets with various long and short firearms. Jiang Ye watched for a long time from the side, then lightly raised his hand and fired a heavy cannon, leveling half the range and turning the targets into dust.
February 11th, the eve of the Lunar New Year on Bi Rong Star.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Jiang Ye finalized the plan, with the majority of the think tank members approving it.
After a short nap, Jiang Ye headed to the television station to record his New Year's address.
In this address, he would announce a huge Spring Festival gift.