Chapter 518 Tax Reform 3
“Oh! I still need to prepare some materials.” Bernard took out his pocket watch and took a look, “Go to the conference room on the second floor and wait for a while.”
"Okay, go ahead and see you later." Hansel responded, waving goodbye to Bernard.
He climbed the stairs to the second floor, walked along the west corridor to the conference room, and found that a person was already waiting inside. Steve, the head of the tax bureau who took office only half a year ago, Fielding.
However, it is not correct to say that he took office only half a year ago, because Steve Fielding was already one of Alda's tax collectors when Paul's father, Grayman Sr., was still there. , and together with several other tax collectors, came under the leadership of Old Ford, the then Lord Keeper of the Seals. After the current Lord Earl established the Government Administration Council, taxation work has not been set up as a separate department to be responsible. Instead, it continues to be under the direct jurisdiction of Old Ford as the general manager. Fielding and other tax officials are still under the leadership of Old Ford.
Until half a year ago, Earl Grayman felt that taxation work needed to have a separate agency, so the Government Administration added an additional department-the Taxation Bureau. At the suggestion of Old Ford, Steve Fielding stood out from many tax officials. Appointed head of the tax office by Count Graeman.
"Good day, Sir Abbott."
Seeing Hansel enter the conference room, Fielding immediately stood up to say hello. He said hello to Hansel from the capital of Jingyao. Very respectful.
"Good day, Steve. How many times have I told you, just call me Hansel. We are colleagues and friends."
Hansel said helplessly respond.
"Haha, I just made a habit of it verbally, but don't worry, I have always regarded you as a friend."
Fielding said to Hansel with a smile, and as usual, he was slightly a little agitated. Scratching his head in embarrassment.
Hansel came to sit next to Fielding and said in a low voice: "Do you think this meeting may be about financial issues?"
Fielding replied. : "I think it's very possible. Maybe you already know that the war in Jiao Bay has a great impact on our commerce. Judging from the tax data of Fulan Port, our own merchant ships in the northwest bay are okay, but the ones over there in Jiao Bay The number of merchant ships has dropped by nearly one-third compared with the previous quarter. As far as I know, some people are ordered to stay at the port to wait for conscription, and some people are directly conscripted to fight. "< br>
Hansel and Fielding chatted, exchanging information and opinions with each other.
During this period, people entered the conference room one after another, including Ford, the director of the State Council, Cecil, the director of the Intelligence Department, and Mark Palmer, the director of the Forestry Department...
What is surprising is that Thomas, the chief judge of the Lord's Court, also Came to the conference room.
Finally, Paul Greiman, Earl of Alda, and Myron Garnard, Earl of Bailding, brought Bernard to the conference room.
Everyone stood up and saluted the two earls.
Paul waved to everyone and sat down at the head of the conference table. Myron sat on the seat to his left. On the seat to Paul's right sat the director of the Government Affairs Council, Wackley Ford, and Bob Nadze sat at a small table behind Paul as the minute-taker.
"Everyone, the main purpose of inviting you here today is to discuss how to balance fiscal revenue and expenditure."
Paul introduced the topics of this meeting. He raised a stack of paper and said:
"This is a recent report, I would like to ask everyone to take a look."
Everyone here received a copy, and everyone quickly browsed it.
The above is the revenue and expenditure of the Government Affairs Council in the latest quarter. As everyone expected, there was a large deficit.
Everyone can guess the reason, because of the situation in Corner Bay.
The count called everyone here, isn't it because he wants to reallocate funds to various departments? Everyone thinks so. If adjustments are made early, some department funds will definitely be cut.
Everyone was drafting ideas quickly in their minds, thinking about how to highlight the importance of their department to avoid being struck on the head by Count Grayman's sword.
“Ahem!” Seeing the furrowed brows of all the officials, Paul cleared his throat heavily and said loudly: “I have discussed the current expenditures with Mellon and Ford Directors. It’s not suitable to change.”
call! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Since cutting expenditures is not in line with the times, what we have to do is to increase revenue. We must expand the fiscal revenue of the Government Affairs Council."
Cecil, the director of the intelligence department, thought to himself: "This is easy to handle. Wouldn’t it be enough if those miscellaneous taxes were abolished and restored in the past few years?”
But what the Earl said next surprised everyone in the conference room:
“We discussed it again and again and felt that it was current. The tax system is out of date, especially the tax package system. ”
The tax farming system is a tax system that is common in human history - the king or lord does not directly tax his subjects, but entrusts it to someone in the local area and gives the amount of tax he wants to collect. Such people are called tax collectors. The tax collector levied taxes on the people in the area he was responsible for in the name of the king or lord, and then handed over the coins that met the tax amount to the king or lord. The tax collector could levy an additional portion on the basis of the original tax amount. The extra part will be kept by the tax collector as a reward for the hard work.
It should be like this, but...
"I heard there is such a saying."
Indignation appeared on Paul's face.
“Pay enough to the lord, and keep what is left to keep the people alive, and the rest is yours. My God, listen to it - keep what is left to keep the people alive, is this what people say? ?”
"It's conceivable how much the so-called tax collectors earned in the middle."
Paul stood up, waving his fists and pacing next to his seat
"So, what do you mean? "
Hansel asked aloud.
Paul said: "Abolish the tax farming system and let our tax bureau directly send people to the countryside to collect taxes."
Abolish the tax farming system? Everyone was suddenly shocked.
Cecil asked in surprise: "Well... Lord Earl, what if there is a backlash... I mean what if those tax collectors resist your new policy? I don't think they will just sit back and watch. Their interests have been damaged in vain.”
“It’s not up to them! What reason do they have to continue to retain their privileges?”
Paul waved his fist in the air.
“The so-called tax farming is nothing but a compromise in the context of backward social development.”
"In Arda, Bairding, and Emden, there is absolutely no need to make such compromises."
"In recent years, roads leading to towns have also been built. Government affairs officers stationed in the countryside Also, we can collect taxes ourselves without relying on others.”
(End of Chapter)