Joseph continued, "And when the seller is purchasing raw materials, they must also obtain a document proving the price from the supplier.
"Oh, there is a name for such a document—it's called an 'invoice'.
"When a factory or shop issues an invoice, they must do so in duplicate—one copy goes to the buyer, one copy is retained.
"In this way, tax officers can simply learn about the sales situation based on the seller's retained invoices and determine the amount of value-added tax due, depending on the corresponding purchase price—which can also be seen on their purchase invoices."
Robespierre's mind raced, as he blurted out, "Your Highness, what if the seller hides the copies of their sales invoices?"
