Xinshun 1730

Chapter 602 This is the case at the end of the empire

boom……

Just mentioning the word "tax increase", the representatives of various cities present were suddenly in an uproar.

The Dutch provincial council has a total of 18 seats, each city with status has one seat, and like the system of the republic, each seat has a veto right.

If you want to increase taxes, all 18 seats must agree, because the Dutch province is not in power now, only the Great Speaker.Now only Freelance, Gelderland, and Drenthe are in power, and the Great Speaker cannot force it through.

This tax increase, it is impossible for the Dutch province to increase its own tax, but to let all provinces increase taxes according to the tax payment ratio in 1616.

But the first step is to get the province of the Netherlands to agree to a tax increase.

The Dutch province has increased taxes, and the rest of the provinces are likely to follow suit.

If the Dutch province itself does not agree to the tax increase, it is even less likely that the other provinces will agree.

Representatives from various cities whispered to each other, expressing great shock at the tax increase.

Increase tax, whose tax will be increased?
The Netherlands implements a tax package system. The problem is that the backbone of the Netherlands is the commercial and financial industries. It is no longer the Netherlands where the textiles were pressed in Japan and the UK could not sell a piece of woolen cloth, and finally disappeared in the third year of the apocalypse.

Ask the business and financial industry to increase taxes?Progressive tax?Plus inheritance tax?Isn't that just collecting your own money?

Everyone said, we managed to get rid of the ruling power and create a 40-year vacancy period. What are we trying to do?

Isn't it just trying to pay less taxes and disarmament?

You Antony Haim don't look at yourself in the mirror, your predecessor, Vaseline Grant, is a recognized strongman.

Smart, capable, resourceful, ambitious, and popular.In terms of contacts, he is the son of DeWitt's nephew. DeWitt was the creator of the golden age. How many people still miss him?
With such a strong condition, you have been the Speaker of the House of Representatives for ten years, have you ever accomplished anything?

Centralization of power failed; military expansion failed; ship building failed; tax system reform failed.

You have only been on stage for three years, and in terms of ability, means, and support, you are far behind your predecessor. Where do you have the confidence to think that you can do it?
In 1727, because of the tax reform, the meeting was held for a whole year. Was there any result?Nothing came out.

Tax increase?Isn't this nonsense?

Anthony was not surprised to hear the buzzing sound in the venue. He had known for a long time that this would be the result, but he still hoped to be able to convince everyone.

"Gentlemen, the former Great Speaker, our respected Lord Vaseline Grant, said before his death: Throughout the history of the Republic, a truly effective centralized government has never been established, and the Republic cannot even be regarded as a country. It's a miracle that it wasn't carved up."

"But, gentlemen, we cannot hope that the miracle will continue."

"We don't have a field regiment now, and our battleships haven't been updated for 40 years. Our limited soldiers are all stationed on the southern border."

"However, we should know one thing: the premise of fort tactics is to have a field army. If there are only forts but no field troops, then those forts are vulnerable to the French."

Tax increases cannot.

The former consul of centralized power accidentally fell and fell to his death.

The army can only rely on fortresses and cannot fight in the field.

The Netherlands has almost collected all the serious illnesses at the end of the empire, and incidentally added the characteristic diseases of the commercial oligarchy system and hollowed-out commercial finance-it is indeed the characteristics of the Netherlands, because apart from the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, there is no other place at this time. qualify for this disease.Really not worthy, not qualified.

Anthony Heim tried to make sense as much as possible, but who doesn't understand the truth?No matter how stupid those present were, they knew that the fortress tactics needed a field army to cooperate; and the field army needed money; money had to be taxed.

After a long silence, someone suggested a tax hike.

"Since this is to defend the entire Netherlands, all Dutch citizens should pay taxes, which is only fair."

"Can we distribute the required military expenditure on everyone's head according to the number of people?"

"That's only fair."

"Our property is all obtained legally. Since it is to defend the Netherlands, it is to defend everyone in the Netherlands. Then everyone is equal and should not bear different obligations because of the amount of property."

"Fairness is the cornerstone of our country's republican system, which cannot be destroyed. It is precisely because of fairness that we can create a golden age. This is our unique pride and pride."

As soon as the idea of ​​equally apportioning military expenditures was put forward, it was immediately endorsed by the majority of people present, and immediately rose to the level of tradition, fairness, and national pride.

"Yeah! I agree!"

"Yes, we should defend our fairness. If fairness cannot be guaranteed, then the cornerstone of the republic will not exist. How is this different from those countries with royal power? Even if we win, what is the point? Is it all worth it?"

"Yes, if such fairness cannot be guaranteed, we will have a sole planter like Cromwell!"

"This is the cornerstone of the republic and cannot be broken."

"Moreover, in order to ensure fairness, for this military expenditure, we should not adopt the original provincial proportional tax, and the Dutch province will continue to pay 58%. Instead, it should be shared according to the population."

Anthony Haim's hands were clenched quietly under the table, and he could only feel deep helplessness.

He also finally understood why his predecessor, Vaseline Grant, who was the Secretary-General of the United Provinces before becoming the Great Speaker, why he had been the Great Speaker for ten years and failed to accomplish anything.

At this moment, what he thought of was a secret conversation between Vaseline Grant and his successor before he died.

"The people are against the regency oligarchs, but they cannot organize themselves, and the only ones who can organize them at this time are the Orangemen."

"The Orangemen may not do better than us, and may not be able to alleviate the contradictions between the people and the city's regent oligarchs. But the people's hope that it can't be worse, this hope makes the Orangemen fantasize about created a totem, a symbol in which to place all their good hopes."

"However, if one day the Orange faction comes to power and everything remains the same, and the last bit of illusion in the hearts of the people is shattered, then they may take the third way."

"A road that belongs neither to the Regent Oligarch nor to the Prince of Orange faction, and is extremely dangerous for our families."

"The future of the Netherlands lies in the establishment of an effective and centralized government. If the Netherlands wants to return to the golden age, it needs a Caesar... At least, the transition before the great republic again. Just like Cromwell to Britain. But , William, has no such ability."

These last instructions made Anthony Heim feel weak and powerless.

The only one who has the possibility to reshape the centralization and raise taxes is now only William who has this possibility.

However, it is only possible, and the ability, I'm afraid... at least it seems that the ability is very poor.

Just like what the former Great Speaker said, if the people find out that the Orange family is like a bird when they come to power, it is tantamount to breaking the root of the Dutch system at this time, and they will choose the terrible third way.

But what can I do now?
The two treaties that need to be implemented urgently involve the international reputation of the Netherlands, and money is needed to implement the treaties.

Originally, the public was quite dissatisfied. Under the tax system, once the third road is taken, all taxpayers may be hung on the street lamps built on the streets of Amsterdam to facilitate the transportation of goods.

Now it is even necessary to distribute the military expenses on every Dutchman?Isn't this equivalent to pouring palm oil into a burning house?

"Gentlemen! This tax increase is not feasible."

"Although Britain is still trying to mediate, the possibility of mediation failure is extremely high. Austria will not give up Silesia."

"Once France supports the usurper, we must fulfill the Anglo-Dutch mutual defense treaty signed in 1678 and 1716. Otherwise, we will lose the only ally we can rely on."

"It takes time to form a field army. We don't have time to continue bickering over tax increases."

However, everyone was not convinced by his reasoning.

"Your Excellency, the Great Speaker, if you think it is not feasible to spread the tax increase, you can take a loan or issue national bonds."

"Driven by patriotism, someone was willing to lend 6% interest to the navy to let the navy build ships. I think we can incite a wave of patriotic sentiment and let people buy national debt."

Anthony finally got angry when he heard the word national debt.

"Gentlemen, your fathers should still be there, and even you yourself should still remember the second great rally in 1717. Wasn't the cause of this great rally because we didn't pay the national debt on time the previous year?"

"You should be aware of the dire consequences of failing to pay the national debt on time. Financial chaos and a general loss of confidence in the federal government."

"But that big rally still didn't solve the financial problem. The current finances cannot prepare for this war by raising public debt."

"Because... we can't afford it."

He found a set of data from a pile of papers, a set of shocking data, and read it to everyone present.

"Sixty years ago, Amsterdam had a population of 60. Now, Amsterdam still has a population of 20. After the golden age ended, we seemed to have stopped, or even regressed. Because even a city like St. Petersburg has a population of 20." .”

"Let's look at the data for Amsterdam and neighboring cities."

"Forty years ago, we had 40 tobacco processing factories, and now there are 25 left; we used to have 8 large textile factories, and now there are 80 left; we used to have 17 shipbuilding yards, and now there are 46 left." home; once we had 22 brig fishing boats ready to be converted into an auxiliary navy and provide enough sailors, now we only have about 550; Leiden used to produce 100 pieces of feather yarn a year, but now it can only produce 4 pieces a year ; There used to be 1 salt factories in Zierikdze, but now there are only 40 left..."

"Under such circumstances, if our finances and taxes do not change, we will simply not be able to repay the public debt for the military expenditure of this war. We cannot issue public debt anymore, and our reputation will go bankrupt."

"And the fact of decline also makes us sober. We can't spread the military expenditure equally on everyone, which will cause a riot. Behind these statistics, it means that many people have lost their jobs and have no longer the ability to pay such a sum. Shared military expenses."

However, these data still did not convince everyone.

Everyone was just silent, neither speaking nor expressing their views, just sitting there silently, delaying time.

(End of this chapter)