Chapter 57: The Sound of Frogs Talks about the Harvest Year (1)
Everyone looked at each other, paused for a while, and raised their hands to answer enthusiastically.
"Your Majesty, it's the fields. Only when the fields produce food can there be taxes."
"Your Majesty, these are fields, mountains and swamps, where food, ore, trees, fisheries and other products can be produced."
...
More than a dozen people spoke, and most of them talked about land.
Zhao Si shook his head, "You all only saw the surface, not the essence."
Everyone looked at each other again, what is it if it's not land? Is it a merchant?
Zhao Si turned around and wrote a big word "人" on the big blackboard behind him.
Then he turned around and looked at everyone, and said impassionedly: "The most fundamental source of taxation in the world lies in people! Because it is people who create wealth, and only with wealth can there be taxation. No matter how fertile the field is, no one will cultivate it, and it can grow on its own.
Do you want to collect taxes from the grain? The rivers and lakes are filled with fish and shrimps, but no one is fishing for them. Will they jump into your bowl on their own?"
"...All this, so it can be said that the most fundamental source of taxation in the world lies in people!"
Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard this, and some smart and bold people raised their hands and said, "Your Majesty, then our tax reform will focus on tax sources and people to collect taxes."
Zhao Si looked at the man and shook his head, "You are wrong again! The source of tax is the source of tax. It is only the basis for tax collection, but not the object of tax collection. Why? Are there any tax supervisors among them?"
"Yes!" Someone raised his hand and said.
"Tell me, is it particularly troublesome for you to collect the Dingkou tax? And it can easily lead to injustice?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, you are right."
Zhao Si continued: "Why is this? Because the target of collecting taxes is wrong. People are the source of taxes, but they are alive, and everyone is different. How to mediate and unify these differences is a huge problem.
"
"I call the object of taxation a tax handle, like a spoon handle. Only by grabbing it can you easily scoop out the water - tax. So what is a tax handle?"
Zhao Si asked again. This time everyone became very cautious. You looked at me, I looked at you, but no one made a sound.
Finally, someone raised his hand. Zhao Si saw that it was a young man and pointed at him.
"Then tell me."
"Replying to Your Majesty, it is property, which is what you just said, the wealth created by people."
Zhao Si nodded and asked, "What's your name?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, I am Zhang Yi, Chief of the Budget Department of the Branch Office of Kaifeng Prefecture."
Zhang Yi? Zhao seemed to think that this name was very familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere. He turned around and scanned the faces of Yu Huatian, Tan Shiji and others.
Several ministers who were well aware of his temperament quickly went through it in their minds, looking for this name.
Yu Huatian came forward and whispered in Zhao Si's ear: "Guan family, this Zhang Yi is Mr. Yichuan's recent disciple. He was originally a bartender. Together with Li Guang, he was recommended to the Sihui Training School and Civil Affairs respectively.
Continuing education school. After graduation, Zhang Yi was assigned to Kaifeng Mansion, and Li Guang went to the Henan County Civil Affairs Department. For some reason, Li Guang was also recommended to this study class, and he sat next to Zhang Yi."
When Yu Huatian said this, Zhao seemed to remember that last year, hundreds of Taixue students with no future made trouble, and he took the opportunity to issue an edict to dismiss them and send them back to their hometowns. At the same time, he simply closed down the Taixue.
At that time, these two were the leaders who led hundreds of Tai students to cause trouble.
interesting.
Zhao Si nodded and said to Zhang Yi: "Yes, your answer is correct. People are the fundamental source of taxation, but only when they create wealth can we collect taxes. So what we have to focus on is not people, but things.
.So this tax is based on things, products. For example, fields and the food they produce, factories and the cotton they produce..."
Some people couldn't help but raise their hands.
"Your Majesty, the tax handle is property, what should I do with the small amount of money? That is a huge income."
Zhao Si waved his hand approvingly and asked him to sit down.
"This person's suggestion is very good. If the tax is based on property, what should we do with the head tax such as a small sum of money?"
After a pause, Zhao Si gave his own answer: "Do you know how to collect a small amount of money? Most of it comes with the two taxes, and each household needs to come to collect it. Living in the Gaomen Courtyard
A high-ranking official, would a tax collector dare to come and collect it? A hunter living in the deep mountains and forests would collect medicine, would a tax collector be willing to collect it?"
"I don't dare and I don't want to. The former is afraid of being beaten up by the high officials, and the latter is because the few copper coins collected are not enough to buy a pair of worn-out shoes."
Everyone chuckled.
Zhao Si and others chuckled slowly, and continued: "The former means that tax collection is unfair, and the latter means that the cost of tax collection is too high. A tax of 10,000 yuan, tax officials' salaries, miscellaneous copper coins, transportation losses, everything is in a mess
It needs to cost 9,500 guan. What’s the point of the imperial court asking for this tax? Is it just making the people angry?”
"So should I collect this small amount of money and other head taxes?"
Everyone was a little hesitant. After hearing what the officials said, it seemed that there was no point in collecting it. After all, commercial taxes such as field production and salt and tea were the big ones. How much money could one have?
Many people had no money at all, and the current dynasty was relatively lenient, allowing people to use "local specialties" such as firewood and dried fish to offset their expenses. Therefore, the imperial tax list often saw strange things like how many handfuls of firewood and how many dried fishes.
's record.
Then through unreasonable conversion - a small county in the mountainous area can only sell 50 yuan of firewood, and the scribe casually converts it into the account according to the price of two guan in Kaifeng City. The income of the imperial court can often exceed 100 million yuan, directly breaking through the atmosphere.
But what's the use?
Do you want the firewood and dried fish according to the converted prices when the salary is paid?
As the official said, the amount of money collected will cause a lot of trouble. Local disputes and public grievances will be caused by the small amount of money, accounting for 50% of it.
The colleges looked at each other, and their hesitant eyes conveyed a message, otherwise we will not accept it.
But Zhao Xi's voice broke their suspicions again.
"Of course it should be collected. The national treasury is short of money and has not yet reached such a generous level. We just need to find another way to collect it, and find an effective and convenient method to collect it. Do you have any suitable suggestions?"
Everyone was speechless. Guanjia, why are you walking us for fun today?
But when an official raised a question, everyone still had to think about it. They lowered their heads and thought about the official's question, then whispered a few words and raised their hands one after another.
Some people say that a checkpoint should be set up at the city gate to collect every visitor. But this will frighten the young people so much that they will not dare to go out and enter the city.
Some people say that when paying the land tax, they will collect it on their behalf. But what about those tenants who do not have land and will not pay the land tax directly? Is it possible that the landlords have to pay the property tax on their behalf?
...
All kinds of methods were not good. So everyone looked at the official's house expectantly, wondering what good solution His Majesty, who was walking everyone around today, had.
"I have an idea, salt!"
When Zhao Si mentioned this word, people who didn't know the meaning were still confused. What is the relationship between salt and money? But the eyes of smart people lit up.
Zhao Si glanced around and took note of everyone's expressions. Needless to say, old foxes like Cai Jing, Lu Yihao, Li Gang, Zhao Ding, Zhu Shengfei and others were all thoughtful.
These figures who can leave their names in history are the ones who really cheated.
After training and studying for a period of time, after broadening my horizons and broadening my thinking, each one is better than the other. If I didn't have some stocks that were ahead of the times, I would be embarrassed to pretend to compete in front of them.
Zhang Yi, Li Guang and others were whispering in low voices, as if they were discussing something. The young backbone of Luo School appeared here, which made Zhao Si's heart move.
Mr. Yi Chuan... this old fox, he divided his disciples into two groups. Those who were famous and knowledgeable were recommended through various channels to Hongwenyuan and Chengjun University Colleges to continue learning and promote Luoxue.
Those who are proficient in current affairs and understand the ways of the world will find ways to recommend them into official careers.
But he himself was hiding behind, synthesizing the sparks that came out of the confrontation with various schools, absorbing the essence of each school, and perfecting the Luo School's ideological system.
This is fine. If you want to thrive and develop in the tide of the times that you have set off, you must conform to the trend. If you remain stubborn and rigid, you will only be eliminated by the trend of the times.
Well, as long as the rocks in the pit are not smelly and hard, I can tolerate them. Think about it carefully, what is the difference between them?
The laws of heaven, those are the rules that restrain others. There are only a few of them who really follow what they say, outwardly and outwardly. Those who do a little bit well are almost called saints in this world.
You can see how rare it is.
You are a genius, remember in one second: Red Oasis: This chapter has been completed!
