Chapter 521 The crazy fight of the tax collector
Half an hour later, Joseph left the residence of the Count of Artois.
The latter had already given in and said that he would tell Queen Mary that he had not thought carefully before and that the case of the Tax Bodies Association was very serious and could not be tolerated.
Joseph was not worried at all that this heavyweight royal member would hold a grudge.
He now controls the military and police forces, and has huge influence on the High Court. He also holds the economic lifeline of the Count of Artois, and is not even afraid of him gathering the nobles to cause trouble - the emerging nobles basically obey his orders, and the old nobles basically obey his orders. The noble side has been weakened repeatedly, and now it can no longer cause any trouble. What's more, the old aristocratic group still hopes to restore the family's glory through war. And if you want to get ahead in the army, you have to nod yourself.
Joseph got on the carriage and looked back at the floor-to-ceiling windows of Count Artois's residence. He sighed in his heart. It has been nearly three years since he came to this world. Compared with the beginning, when he was always worried about his life, now he is more worried about his life. Even the most influential top nobles in the royal family can be completely subdued by themselves.
Finally, he looks a bit like a crown prince!
In the future, I will lead France to the top of the European continent and create glory that will remain in history!
…
Paris Saint-Germain district.
In Fuld's private tennis club, a group of tycoons from the Taxpayers Association were sitting comfortably on the chairs beside the court, watching the fierce competition between the two people on the court, and making comments from time to time.
Fankiewicz looked at the people around him with a smile and said proudly:
"That old fellow Brian actually dares to threaten me to buy tens of millions of national bonds? Huh, it's just a dream!"
Bolore nodded and said: "I heard that Count Artois has given the gift to the queen, and the queen also promised not to pursue the matter of forged documents."
Everyone showed joy:
"Mr. Hope's method was indeed effective and allowed us to avoid huge losses."
"Those greedy guys at Versailles, they'll do anything for a little money."
"After the High Court withdraws the lawsuit, I will go to the UK immediately. There have been many investment opportunities there recently."
"I'm going to the Far East..."
At Hope's suggestion, they each contributed 400,000 francs, a total of more than 5 million, a small part of which was used to bribe the Count Artois and the Countess de Berninac, and the bulk of it was used to buy a diamond crown as a gift. To the queen.
And just as Hope expected, the forgery of documents should have been suppressed. Now they no longer have the luxury of continuing to pay taxes. They just want to get out as soon as possible and start discussing new investment directions.
Borrore thought of the tax documents being found by the police and said angrily:
"Mr. Fuld, haven't you found out who leaked the news?"
Fuld frowned and shook his head: "No one among my men knew that they were hiding tax documents. Even if they went to report, it would not attract the attention of the police.
"So, I suspect there is a traitor among us."
Goldmead immediately looked like he was choosing someone to devour, and shouted: "Who is it? I'm going to kill that bastard!"
"It's not clear yet. Maybe it's Charles, but he probably doesn't know where we store the files."
Everyone immediately looked at each other suspiciously, feeling that everyone was suspicious. At this moment, there was a noise outside the tennis hall. It seemed that hundreds of people were running past the nearby streets, shouting something and quickly disappearing.
"What happened?"
Fuld looked at the butler standing not far away. The latter immediately bowed, turned around and went out to check.
After a while, the housekeeper hurried back, holding a newspaper, and whispered to Fuld: "Sir, the State Administration of Taxation issued an announcement saying that everyone can go to the local tax bureau to file a claim for taxes from previous years. Appeal. If tax violations are found, unreasonable taxes will be refunded and compensation will be made.
"Paris is now full of people rushing to the tax office! I heard that thousands of people have gathered in Coles Street..."
The tax collectors present were shocked.
They know best what they have done, and the illegal taxes collected every year are at least tens of millions of livres. As for the specific amount, they don't know - only the total income is calculated at the end of each year, and no one will take a closer look at what is legal and what is not.
Baron Morel was the first to exclaim: "Brian actually asked people to appeal on their own!"
"This is much faster than the tax bureau's own audit. How did he think of doing this?"
"If we are found to have problems with our tax accounts, we will be in big trouble..."
Hope frowned deeply: "Calm down, everyone. It will take some time to audit the accounts. We must take advantage of this gap to prevent the tax bureau from continuing to investigate."
"What can you do?" The crowdsourced tax collectors immediately looked at him, the think tank of the federation.
Hope thought for a while and said to Fuld: "Go to the Duke of Artois and the Countess of Deboninac, double the benefits to them, and try to get the queen to stop them.
“In addition, we must also mobilize resources to let the government know the consequences of messing with us!”
He faced everyone's doubtful glances and continued: "If I remember correctly, more than 30% of the caravans across France are controlled by us. Counting those with shares, it should be more than 50%."
The assets of these tax-holding giants are astonishing, and their industries involve a wide range of industries. Although most of them are mainly banks and loan sharks, families including Bolore, Barlow, and De Conteler also own a large number of caravans, or have in-depth cooperation with caravans. It is France's main force in trade.
Yes, trade in this era was basically completed by large and small caravans. Due to high transportation costs, ordinary stores do not have the ability to purchase goods from long distances. The source of goods and merchants rely on these caravans to connect them. Sometimes the caravans also conduct retail sales on the spot.
Hope said in a cold voice: "Right now, we can't count the losses. If the tax bureau doesn't stop checking the accounts, we will ask our caravans to stop all transactions. In a month at most, the whole of France will fall into chaos.
"Of course, I guess Brian wouldn't dare to let this happen. So as long as we are resolute, he will definitely give in."
Fuld nodded and said: "This is indeed the most powerful weapon in our hands. In addition, Mr. Pellier and I also own a large number of shares in the Port of Marseille. If necessary, we can bring it to a standstill."
Hope immediately said: "That's great, then let Marseille Port have something unexpected.
“The more methods we have, the less the government will dare to touch us!”
The Port of Marseille is responsible for more than 80% of France's Mediterranean trade throughput, and Mediterranean trade accounts for more than one-third of France's foreign trade. If the Port of Marseille is shut down, the impact on the French economy and trade will be absolutely devastating.
(End of chapter)