Luxury watches spotted again: A county-level State Taxation Bureau director, an honest person who suffered losses, posts on Weibo to question: Where did the Omega come from?

Spotted againluxury watch: A county-level State Taxation Bureau director,Omegawhere did it come from

Yu Yigang, the director of the State Taxation Bureau in Yiyuan County, Shandong Province—a region that has only recently emerged from poverty—was recently exposed for wearing an Omega luxury watch worth nearly 5 ten thousand yuan, sparking a swift public outcry. Disciplinary inspection authorities stated that Yu Yigang's luxury watch was purchased at a duty-free shop in France during a trip abroad in 2005. ***Follow-up: Investigate why he went abroad in 2005, who paid for it, and how much it cost.

Exposure of a tax bureau director in a poor county wearing a luxury watch draws attention.

Recently, netizens on major forums revealed that Yu Yigang, director of the State Taxation Bureau in Yiyuan County, Shandong Province—a county that has just been lifted out of poverty—was wearing an Omega Constellation watch in red gold with diamonds. They joked that for a section-level official in the Yimeng mountain area, this watch is quite a status symbol.

Photos provided by netizens show a man identified as 'Party Committee Secretary and Director of the State Taxation Bureau, Yu Yigang' sitting at his desk with his hands crossed. What caught the attention of netizens was a silver-white watch on his left wrist. The posting netizen identified it as an Omega Constellation automatic mechanical men's watch. Omega is a world-renowned watchmaking company and brand.

In response, netizens questioned how an official from a poverty-stricken county could wear a luxury watch worth nearly 5 ten thousand. Even if his annual salary were 20 ten thousand yuan, would a section-level official really spend 5 ten thousand yuan on a single watch?

Shandong Yiyuan Tax Bureau Director: Wearing a luxury watch shows 'low standards'.

Facing various questions, an official from the Yiyuan County State Taxation Bureau office told a Huasheng Online reporter on the afternoon of 18 that the director was away on research and was unavailable for an interview.

Xinhua News Agency reported on the 20 that disciplinary inspection authorities had learned that Yu Yigang's luxury watch was purchased at a duty-free shop in France during a trip abroad in 2005. After receiving online attention, Yu Yigang stated that buying and wearing a luxury watch showed that his sense of frugality was weak and that his personal standards were not high.

Netizens posted replies: 'My standards are even lower than yours, but I don't think I can afford that watch.' Other netizens sarcastically remarked: 'He has high awareness, knowing how to pick and choose.'

Yu Yigang claimed that when he learned this watch was five or six thousand yuan cheaper than in China, he was tempted by the lower price. Furthermore, he felt that since it was not easy to travel abroad, he wanted to bring back something nice as a souvenir. Combined with his stable job and decent income, he decided to purchase the watch.

The watch issue remains unresolved; netizens question the reason for the trip abroad.

A community netizen posted: 'Put the watch issue aside for now. First, investigate why he went abroad in 2005, who paid for it, and how much it cost?'

'An honest person who suffered a loss' posted on Weibo, asking: 'What is wrong with buying and wearing a luxury watch with money earned from one's own labour? The issue is, why does a county-level tax bureau director need to go to France? To study? Study what? How they collect national taxes? That doesn't seem necessary.'