The staff of the Haikou City Tax Bureau in Hainan Province, China, were exposed playing mobile games during work hours. The official response stated that the employee has been criticized and transferred from their original position. Netizens have been commenting that this situation may not be uncommon nationwide.
The news about “Tax Bureau staff playing mobile games at work” was reported by several mainland Chinese media outlets yesterday.
A netizen posted a video showing a staff member at the Haikou City Tax Bureau with their feet up on the desk playing on their phone during work hours.
The video captured by the netizen shows a man lying half-reclined on a chair, with his feet on the desk playing mobile games in landscape mode. The background audio of the video clearly includes sounds from the game such as “pair ten,” “not,” “match.”
According to mainland Chinese media reports, the video was recorded at 11:20 a.m., which is during working hours.
On May 21, the National Tax Administration Office of Haikou City Tax Bureau of the Communist Party of China issued a situation report stating that an employee named Xie watched gaming videos on his phone during work hours. The employee has been ordered to undergo inspection, criticized, and transferred from the original position.
In response to the official report, netizens have sarcastically commented: “Just transfer them to a more discreet position and let them continue!” “The threshold for entry is so high to prevent talent loss, right?” “Who doesn’t play on their phone when they have time at work?” “Don’t bother explaining, just temporary staff!” “Taxpayers are supporting these parasites.” “It shows that there are too many civil servants, leading to redundancy.”
Some netizens have mentioned: “This happens a lot. I’ve seen similar situations in social security and tax offices before but they weren’t filmed.” “It’s the same everywhere in the country, it’s just not exposed.” “It’s common practice. There are many who spend the afternoon playing cards outside.” “This is nothing. The small fry imitates the big fish.” “It’s normal! Who doesn’t slack off at work?”
In November last year, an employee of the Luonan County Transportation Bureau in Shaanxi Province was also accused of playing games at work and neglecting public duties.
The Communist authorities insist on fighting corruption, but the problem seems to be getting worse. In recent years, laziness and disorderliness have become prevalent in the entire officialdom, with the trend of “lying flat” spreading. State media have reported officials gambling, doing drugs, playing games, online shopping, watching pornography, and even committing adultery during working hours. During Premier Li Keqiang’s tenure, there were reports of him frequently losing his temper due to delays in issuing orders and officials being lazy. Once, Li Keqiang got so angry that he smashed a tea cup on the table.
Legal expert Yuan Hongbing, who lives in Australia, has stated that the widespread laziness among officials is a clear sign of the deepening political crisis within the Communist Party. Since the Communist Party’s rule is based on millions of officials, the fact that many officials, especially at the grassroots level, have become lazy indicates a significant shakeup in the foundation of the Party’s rule, posing a profound political crisis for the regime.