Around 1959, a local businessman approached me with a tax-related issue that had become complicated. He authorized me to handle his case, and I attended the tax office’s weekly commission, which included representatives from the tax office, the governorate, and the judiciary, tasked with resolving disputed cases. The tax representative, a high-ranking and imposing figure, had the final say in decisions. Upon reviewing the case in the limited time before the meeting, I discovered a tax exemption that had been overlooked in their deliberations. According to the law, individuals engaged in commercial and economic activities were subject to tax unless the government failed to claim it within three years, rendering the case subject to the statute of limitations and exempting the taxpayer from payment. When my turn came, I pointed out that the case was subject to the statute of limitations, as the taxpayer had been liable for taxes in 1956, and since three years had passed without the government claiming the tax, he was exempt. Despite previous reviews, this aspect had been missed, leading to the case being closed.
After the session, the tax representative suggested I would do well on the city council, to which I replied that he might find me there in a few years. At that time, I was quite young, and it was customary for city council members to be older. A few years later, I joined the council. When there was another meeting at the tax office, I inquired about the representative and was told he was alive. I asked to convey that I was now serving on the city council, fulfilling the prediction I had made during our earlier interaction.