Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 439 That's All Our Money!

"Tax system?" Old Zhu frowned.

"Fifth Brother, I'm afraid you forgot." Zhu Biao reminded. "After discussing the issue of land annexation last year, my father has publicly decreed in the court to change the tax system. From then on, the Ming Dynasty must pay the gentry as a whole."

"This year's two-sided war can barely support it. It is precisely because of this part of the food tax. Otherwise, even if Yunnan is captured, the remaining army may have no food to sustain."

"Although a lot of things were abolished in order to collect more of these taxes and rations. Fortunately, with this part of the taxes and rations, our Daming failed to comply with Yuan Ting's wishes and successfully swallowed Yunnan." Lao Zhu also explained.When it was proposed in the court that the gentry should pay the food as a whole, it was opposed by Wang Guangyang, who was the prime minister at the time.

Even though Lao Zhu enforced this policy with the emperor's iron fist, there were still some officials and gentry who were lucky enough to delay handing over.

But Lao Zhu will not get used to your stinking problem. At that time, Jin Yiwei Tiqi went out to arrest tax resisters and refusals.If they are caught, they will be thrown directly into the big prison and charged with Hu Weiyong's partisan party.

You must know that Hu Weiyong was convicted of treason. For those big households who call themselves "farming and studying heirs", the lesser of two evils is the lesser of two evils, and they will not lose their heads for a little tax.Although there were one or two dissatisfaction, he finally succumbed.

This kind of thing can only be done by the founding emperor like Lao Zhu.If it comes to the later emperors, if a single one pays the grain, I am afraid that it will be like a big ceremony for several years without any progress.Thanks to the extra tax and food, Daming succeeded in taking over Yunnan, and Beiyuan's plan to contain Daming and make it unable to go south was completely bankrupt.

"One-body payment of grain has just begun to show some signs. If the tax system is changed at this time, I'm afraid it won't work." Lao Zhu rubbed his chin and said. "Besides, where else can money and food be squeezed out? Could it be that taxes are going to be raised? No way."

"What I'm talking about is starting with the tax system, not the agricultural tax." Zhu Su said. "Since the national use is difficult, why not increase the business tax?"

"Business tax?" Lao Zhu shrank his pupils slightly, rubbed his chin and thought for a while.

"When we first founded the country, we also thought about whether to re-levy business taxes." He said.

"It's just that after thinking about it for a while, I still gave up. The Northern Yuan Dynasty has been plundering for a hundred years, and the world is in decline. It is hard for the common people to have a little food and clothing. It is unreasonable to charge heavy taxes if they do small business. There is a dispute with the people. Suspected of profit."

"Besides, it is easiest to make a clever name for raising commercial taxes. If the imperial court imposes heavy taxes, the tax collectors below will inevitably collect excessive taxes." Zhu Biao also added.

"For example, in the Song and Yuan dynasties, there were so many names of tax collectors, which are rare in ancient and modern times. There is a fruit tax for buying and selling melons and fruits, a persimmon tax for persimmons, and a jujube tax for dates...Even food and drink are taxed."

"Rather than this, it is better to lighten the tax and pay less, and leave benefits to the people. This is my great Ming and good governance."

Zhu Su nodded, he could understand.The business tax in Ming Dynasty is about [-] yuan, and there are also city gate tax, gate tax, dental tax, deed tax, etc.These miscellaneous taxes are the limit that ordinary people who do small businesses can bear.After all, there is a lot of waste in the world today, and almost every family has no food left.Occasionally, ordinary people managed to save some money to start a small business. If the tax is too heavy, it is indeed a bit unnecessary to clean it up.

It's just... business matters are far from being as simple as they appear on the surface.Zhu Su said: "It's good not to compete with the people for profit. It's just that you said just now that you can't collect heavy taxes because the world is in decline... I don't think I agree with this."

"When the world is in decline, does business also have to be in decline? This time I went to Suzhou, where the Taihu Lake was flooded, and the rich merchants in Suzhou actually hoarded tens of thousands of grains per household, which is enough for the people of the city to use for more than a year!"

"Father and mother, you must have experienced the scene of rich people buying land at a low price and selling grain at a high price in a disaster year."

"It's not just food. When there is a shortage of everything in times of disaster or turmoil, there will always be someone who can make a lot of money. This is called 'National Distress and Wealth'. Those who have a country with wealth and wealth are often dozens of times more profitable than usual."

"Father, you think that if you don't levy heavy taxes, you don't compete with the people for profit. But in fact, the richer the family is, the more they can accumulate wealth in this poor year."

"The amount of small people doing business is only a small number after all. Those who really occupy the majority of business will not be affected by this world at all!"

"National wealth..." Lao Zhu was stunned, and he realized once again that his thinking had fallen into a misunderstanding.Don't compete with the people for profit... My original intention is indeed so, but what the old five said is right, no matter how poor the world is, it will not affect those big families to get rich!
By levying commercial taxes lightly, does it protect the common people, or fatten the big households?
"...We were cheated." Old Zhu gritted his teeth suddenly, his face became angry.He remembered what the officials had said when the policy was drawn up.

At that time, Li Shanchang, the prime minister of South Korea, was the first to say: "Your Majesty, I think that the commercial tax should be lightly levied. After all, the people are already in a lot of trouble. If miscellaneous taxes are heavy, I am afraid that I will be suspected of competing with the people for profit."

Behind him, all the officials responded in groups, citing scriptures and allusions, each of them said clearly and logically.

"That screwdriver is not a son of man..." At this moment, what else does Lao Zhu not understand?The so-called light levy of business tax, is it not the pockets of these officials who are fat?

Can be a butcher for an official in the court, which family does not have more than a dozen shops and a hundred acres of fertile land?

Those big officials are the spokespersons of those big landlords!
This thirty-one tax, I thought it was a good government with light taxes and low taxes... It's another bad government left to the children and grandchildren!

"Chongba, don't be angry. Now that we know the mistakes, let's make up for them one by one." Empress Ma persuaded.There is also a coldness in her phoenix eyes.I didn't think about it at first, but now that Lao Wu said that, I still don't understand.

Those officials in the imperial court were bullying their old Zhu's family who came from a mud-legged background and didn't know the way of economics, so they used some big words to deceive their family.

Fortunately, my husband thought it was pity for the people, but he didn't think it was actually fattening the pockets of the rich.When those officials count money at home on weekdays, they don't know how to be complacent!

"If Lao Wu didn't remind us, I'm afraid we would never have thought of this level in this life!" Lao Zhu was still angry with himself. "Unfortunately, we thought that Daming had been beaten like an iron bucket, but looking at it now, it's actually leaking everywhere..."

"Our children and grandchildren have borrowed from hundreds of officials for a little money and food. Now that I think about it, it is really our fault... Change! It must be changed! We must levy heavy business taxes, and get rid of those big households! "

"It's not necessary to re-conquer all of them." Zhu Su added in a timely manner. "A step-by-step tax collection method can be adopted. For example, if the annual income is ten taels of silver, no tax will be levied, and if the annual income is one hundred taels, it will be levied at ten. , in short, we must lock the targets of re-expropriation on large households with high incomes. In this way, we can avoid competing with the people for profit.”

Zhu Su came up with the method of collecting personal income tax in later generations to throw bricks and spark jade.

"Okay, this is a good idea!" Old Zhu was overjoyed. "The bastards ganged up on us to plot against us and let us pay less business tax... This is money from our treasury!"

"We lose our hair because of money, but they are all pouring money... It's all our money!"

Lao Zhu's eyeballs were red.

(End of this chapter)