The second day after tax collector Arn came to the village.
Brutus woke up early as usual, and he found that his ability to sleep in had degraded at the speed of light since he came to this world.
However, when you think about the fact that there are no entertainment activities in the evening and you can only go to bed early, it is naturally quite reasonable to get up early.
He carefully identified the path under his feet under the still slightly dark sky to avoid accidentally stumbling over stones or stepping into pits.
When Brutus walked to the square in the center of the village, most of the villagers had gathered.
The tax officer's entourage stood outside the crowd, holding spears in their hands, as if to prevent the villagers from escaping.
Brutus also planned to squeeze into the crowd. He planned to stay with Marcus and talk about extending the class time.
However, before he had taken a few steps, he was invited over by a sharp-eyed follower.
"What's the matter?" Brutus asked Mills with some confusion, "I remember that according to the laws of your kingdom, free people also need to pay taxes."
"Yes, Mr. Brutus." Mills agreed with Brutus and immediately explained to him, "This is Tax Collector Ion's idea. He wants to invite you to watch the kingdom's taxation process. As for
He thinks he has the right to exempt you from your taxes."
Brutus became more and more confused about what was going on in the tax collector's mind. His attitude of being courteous for nothing always made him feel that things were fraudulent, but he just nodded and then sat on a chair brought by his entourage.
After more than ten minutes, Tax Collector Ion walked into the square with staggering steps. He first looked at Brutus who was sitting and said, "Good morning, Mr. Brutus."
"Good morning, Tax Collector Ion." Brutus decided it would be better to ask directly, "I don't understand something. I wonder if you can explain it."
"Haha, you are referring to the tax exemption. Don't worry, this matter is indeed within my scope of authority." The fat on the tax officer's face trembled with his smile.
"The nobles of Loma know that Gris is a model of civilization. I hope you can exchange your views with me after watching the tax collection process, so that I can learn about some advanced systems."
Brutus was a little confused. He didn't know how Gris collected taxes. He said euphemistically: "I don't know much about these things. Maybe I will have some clues after reading it."
"It's okay, it's okay." Tax Collector Ion laughed a few times, "I know that you literate Grisians are all good at different things."
He smiled as he sat down on a comfortable chair. The chair creaked a little, but fortunately it could still bear the weight of Tax Collector Ion.
"Mills, let's get started."
"Yes, Tax Collector Ion." Mills took out a roster and called the names on it one by one. Since the young adults in the village were not in the village, the wife of the person whose name was called stepped forward to pay the tax on his behalf.
The first round of levying a poll tax was a poll tax. Brutus borrowed an account and took a look. It was 20 copper lats for adult men and half for women and children. The copper coins were not paid on the spot, but in the form of accounting.
After the statistics are completed, they will be collected in the form of physical tax.
This round is not only a tax calculation process, but also a population counting process. If the number of people in a household does not match the household registration book in Mills' hand, he will ask a few more questions and then verify with the village chief Lorenzo on the side.
The second round of taxes was this year's summer tax, which had many types of taxes. Brutus heard that they could even come up with water taxes, which made him feel a little incredible.
The whole process can be said to be quite tedious, making onlookers drowsy. But for the villagers who are taxed, this process is like a trial, which determines whether their citizenship will be reduced to debt slaves.
"Tax Officer Yen, I have something to ask." When collecting water tax, he interrupted the tax collection process, "As far as I know, the tax officer needs to bring the tax documents issued by the kingdom when collecting taxes.
Right?"
The tax collector Ion was a little dissatisfied with Brutus interrupting the tax collection process. He frowned and replied: "Yes, what?"
"So, do you have it with you? I want to see it."
"Of course I have it with me. If you want to see it, Burns, take it out and show it to Mr. Brutus." Tax Collector Ion motioned to the summoned attendant to give him the document.
It's said to be a tax document, but it's actually a finger-thick book.
Brutus flipped through it quickly, and then pointed at one of the pages: "Tax Officer Ion, I wonder if you have any objection to the fact that the procedure is illegal?"
"Illegal procedure?" Tax Officer Ion felt that Brutus was joking with him. How could he not know the tax collection procedures after collecting taxes for so many years?
"Yes." Brutus read from the book, "When collecting taxes, you should first declare the tax items to the tax payer and provide corresponding documentary evidence."
He turned to the next page: "There is also this paragraph: When a local government collects taxes other than those established by the kingdom, it needs to be jointly approved by the local lord and political officer."
"I wonder if you can provide the corresponding documents?" He looked at Tax Officer Yan and asked warmly.
"Sorry, I need to see what's on it." Tax Officer Ion snatched the tax code from Brutus' hand and found that what Brutus just read was indeed what it said.
Tax Collector Ion stared at Brutus, and the flesh on his cheeks trembled a few times: "I'm sorry, Mr. Brutus, I may be dizzy because of the hot weather."
"It's okay, it's understandable." Brutus waved his hand, "Well, when I was in Gris, I sometimes forgot some procedures, but as long as I can correct the problem in time, it's not a big deal."
"Yes, just correct it in time." Tax Collector Ion couldn't agree more with Brutus's words.
"The tax collection is temporarily suspended, and the summer tax collection will continue in the afternoon." He announced loudly to the villagers, and then quickly left the square with his entourage.
"Mr. Brutus, you are so awesome! You actually drove away Tax Collector Ion." Not long after Tax Collector Ion left, Marcus and a group of children came up.
Although they didn't know exactly what happened, it didn't stop them from praising Brutus.
"It's not that I'm great." Brutus shook his head, "It's that your citizenship and the laws of the kingdom are great."
Brutus knew very well how much he weighed. It would be crazy if he, a free man, could change the situation with his words.
He had talked with Mayor Lorenzo about taxation yesterday, and then he learned that tax officials need to carry tax books.
He just asked to see the contents out of curiosity. Unexpectedly, the tax officer Yann actually let him see it, and he also found the contents inside.
But what really made Tax Officer Yann immediately change his face was not the two words he said, but the following one of the second one:
"Tax tax collectors have the right to request access to the tax code. If the tax official sets tax items in violation of regulations, the administrative officer must permanently deprive the citizen of his noble status at the request of the citizen."
"This citizenship seems to be pretty good." Brutus began to plan on getting involved with someone as soon as possible...