Follow Zhu Yuanzhang to conquer the country

Chapter 76: Luxury tax levied, Zhu Wenzheng is in charge
  Li Shanchang twisted his beard and smiled.

Zhang Cheng also noticed Li Shanchang's sudden smile, and felt that these civil servants and staff were suddenly on the same wavelength as him, which probably had a lot to do with Li Shanchang!

He has always been wary of these people.

What's more.

There are very powerful people in later generations who often mention the concept of "sugar-coated bullets" in written materials, which makes him always wary of Li Shanchang, who seems to be the least aggressive among his fellow literati, and is even friendly and courteous to him. .

Zhu Yuanzhang was also surprised that Zhang Mian and others suddenly unanimously supported Zhang Cheng's behavior.

But because these civil servants and staff supported Zhang Cheng's proposition, which was beneficial to the people and the rebel regime, Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy about it.

He even felt that maybe these civil servants and staff began to change because they saw that he and Zhang Cheng were upright and dedicated to the people.

Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded: "As Mr. Zhang said, heavy taxes should be levied on luxury goods, so as to prevent the people with a little extra wealth from losing their fortune too quickly due to competing for wealth and loving luxury! There should be as little as possible on the commercial goods that are necessary for the people. Taxation should not make life difficult for ordinary people engaged in other industries in the city."

Because Zhu Yuanzhang is not yet the emperor, and he is not completely confident and feels that many people are inferior to him, he is not so arbitrary yet, so he asked again:
  "Any objections?"

"no disagreement!"

Everyone replied like this.

Zhang Cheng then said: "Your Majesty, since this is the case, it is better to set up a tax order on commercial tax first, which is called luxury tax, and impose heavy taxes on the transactions of luxury goods!"

"Very true."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded.

He has never liked extravagance, nor does he like other people's extravagance. In history, Zhu Wenzheng was criticized many times by him for being extravagant.

Cheng Renmo took the initiative to ask at this time: "I just don't know if salt, iron, grain, and gunpowder can be bought and sold, how to buy and sell, and what the tax system is."

The sale and purchase of these goods is what merchants are most concerned about.

Because these are the most in-demand commodities nowadays, the easiest to make money on, and the most sensitive commodities.

"These commodities are either strategically critical materials for our rebel army to be strong and strong, or strategically critical materials for the survival of the people, or they have the value of both. In short, they are strategic items that cannot be easily ignored and left to their own devices. Merchants bought and sold these goods at will."

Zhang Cheng said this.

Zhu Yuanzhang also nodded.

Cheng Renmo, Zhai Guangsen and other merchants were all disappointed because of this.

But then.

Zhang Chengze added: "But this does not mean that you private merchants are completely prohibited from participating in the trading of these materials. At least you are welcome to join in some material transactions. After all, our rebel army is not governing Chuzhou City for the poor people and businessmen. It’s about enriching the people and helping business.”

Cheng Renmo, Zhai Guangsen and other merchants couldn't help but feel happy and secretly relieved after hearing this.

For them, Zhang Cheng and other rebel regimes only need to be willing to let them get a share of the market benefits of these in-demand commodities.

They also dare not expect the rebel regime to have no involvement in the interests of these commodities.

After all, for them, if the rebel regime monopolizes the benefits, they will have no way to resist.

Zhang Cheng also learned some business knowledge and knew that some industries require the participation of private businessmen to develop healthily. Simply leaving it to bureaucrats will make the results worse and turn a system that is originally convenient for the people into a system that burdens the people. , and may even directly bring down an originally prosperous industry, so private businessmen are allowed to participate in these industries to a certain extent.

What's more.

In this era when monitoring capabilities and supervisory management technical means are still limited, only allowing government-run commercial banks to participate and allowing a group of bureaucrats to operate some strategic material transactions may cause greater losses to national interests than letting private businessmen operate for the sake of profit. Seeking stability will cause greater losses.

such as.

Bureaucrats will deliberately destroy large amounts of strategic materials just to attack a certain political opponent, regardless of economic losses.

Because for bureaucrats, economic losses are only losses to the court, and their own losses in political power are the real losses.

Therefore, Zhang Cheng plans to try his best not to let bureaucrats directly participate in the operation of some industries, and try to avoid infighting among bureaucrats or corruption that affects the interests of the country and the people.

But this does not mean that government-run commercial banks should not be allowed to participate, but that the two should check and balance each other as much as possible.

Zhang Cheng said at this time: "For example, you can participate in this salt, but you can only participate in the sales process, and you can only take salt from the government-run salt shop. The merchants who take the salt must have an officially recognized salt industry. Only the license is for sale.”

"Let me ask for them, why does Mr. Zhang have such a rule?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said something at this time.

Zhang Cheng looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said: "Let them take salt from the government-run salt shop, and they must have a license to limit the amount of salt that merchants can take, and to prevent one or several merchants from manipulating the salt market and raising the price of salt." The price is so high that the common people cannot afford to eat salt."

"Then why not just let the government-run salt stores sell salt and limit the purchase?"

Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Zhang Cheng said: "The superiors must know how abominable corrupt officials are!"

"So, once we directly let the government-run salt shops sell salt to the people, I'm afraid that they will forcefully sell low-quality salt to the people, and the people will be angry but dare not speak out!"

"If only merchants who have been granted a business license can purchase salt in bulk from the government-run salt shops and sell it to the people, and the government-run salt shops are not allowed to sell salt directly to the people, then if the government-run salt shops use inferior salt, the merchants do not need to go to the government-run salt shops. When salt shops buy salt, they should get good salt from other channels, forcing government-run salt shops not to fool around with low-quality salt."

"And once ordinary people find that the salt they can buy is only low-quality salt, it is easier to sue the merchants than directly sue the bureaucrats who run the salt shops."

"In addition, businessmen are basically either rich or noble. They are more courageous than ordinary people to sue government-run salt stores for selling inferior salt, and they can afford the cost of litigation."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded: "This is the truth. As long as officials are directly involved in world affairs, bad things will often happen."

Zhu Yuanzhang himself was a person who had great distrust of officials.

Therefore, Zhang Cheng's worries made him very satisfied, and he also understood why Zhang Cheng wanted to let these private businessmen get a share of the pie. It was obviously to benefit the people of the world and to use the power of businessmen to check and balance the bureaucracy.

"As for iron materials and gunpowder."

"Now is the time of strife in the world. You can sell to Chuzhou City, and we will give you low taxes or even tax exemption, but you are not allowed to sell. If you sell, you will be killed!"

"Furthermore, in order to encourage you to take the initiative to pay taxes and not to increase the burden on our rebel army in the tax collection process, anyone who takes the initiative to prepare taxes when entering or leaving the city can get a part of the tax refunded." "In addition, to encourage you, You merchants should do more things that are conducive to the growth of the rebel army, such as taking the initiative to take in orphans and children and handing them over to the rebel army during the business trip, taking the initiative to obtain important information for the rebel army and making major contributions, you can all have tax refunds."

After Zhang Cheng said this, Zhu Yuanzhang also came to his senses and believed that using merchants to establish more sources of information and take in more orphans was indeed a good and mutually beneficial way, and he couldn't help but follow:

"It's not just about refunding the tax exemption. If you really make great contributions to our rebel army, I will give you an official title so that you can also become a shareholder in a government-run business and share the official profits."

"Did you hear what the superior said?"

"All of this depends on whether you have this awareness and whether you firmly support our rebel position."

"And our rebel army supports your desire for wealth. As long as you are willing to stand by our rebel army, our rebel army will not treat you badly."

Zhang Cheng also smiled and spoke to Cheng Renmo and other merchants at this time.

Cheng Renmo was very happy after hearing this.

Cheng Renmo himself couldn't help but knelt down and kowtowed:
  "How dare we have any dissatisfaction with the rebels? Not to mention the kindness shown by the general and the state shepherd. Even if we don't show these kindness, it is our duty to help the rebels and save orphans and children!"

"Yes!"

"If we go against the rebels, become the Tatars' lackeys, and sell iron and grain to the Tatars, are we still human beings?!"

Zhai Guangsen also spoke ecstatically, and once again emphasized that if people like him continue to go against the rebels, they will not be human beings.

Next.

Zhang Cheng and others discussed the specific commercial tax rate.

In general, the taxes on handicrafts and luxury goods have increased a lot.

However, taxes on people's necessities and important materials that need to be imported have been much lower than before.

As for the export of important materials, they either directly banned civilians and businesses from transporting out of Chuzhou City, or imposed much heavier taxes than before.

In addition, tax exemption will be given to small traders and vendors selling goods worth less than 1,000 yuan to promote the development of small handicraftsmen and promote technological innovation.

But in general, the overall commercial tax rate is much higher than the original commercial tax rate in the Yuanting area.

According to the record in "Shi Huo Zhi" in "History of the Yuan Dynasty": "In the seventh year of the Yuan Dynasty, the system of one-thirty points was established."

In other words, starting from the seventh year of the Yuan Dynasty, that is, from 1270 AD, the commercial tax of the Yuan Dynasty was thirty taxes per year.

But in reality, the commercial tax in some places in the Yuan Dynasty was less than 100%.

For example, Kublai Khan issued an edict in the 20th year of the Yuan Dynasty, asking Shangdu (Kaiping) to levy a tax of "one tax per sixty".

However, the rebels only set taxes much higher than Yuan Ting's tax rate on handicrafts and luxury goods that the common people at the bottom basically did not need. The most basic daily necessities for the common people were actually much lower than Yuan Ting's.

In this era, the merchants who can deal in handicrafts and luxury goods are all merchants with more complicated backgrounds. They are basically powerful and bureaucratic people.

Ordinary merchants are basically just middle- and lower-class landlords, so they can only deal in commodities such as grain and cotton, with the common people as the main consumer group.

Therefore, the new commercial tax policy of the rebels has only greatly taken away the interests of wealthy businessmen with aristocratic and bureaucratic backgrounds, but it has benefited ordinary wealthy businessmen, especially small traders whose main group is handicrafts. Many of them You don't even have to pay taxes.

Cheng Renmo, an ordinary wealthy businessman who mainly deals in grain and a middle-level landowner in Chuzhou, sighed after participating in the discussion of all commercial tax and business affairs matters:
  "I regret it!"

"You really shouldn't follow those minions of the Jin gentry to stir up food. You should listen to the rebels."

"This way we won't have so much food. We can also make more money from that food because of the low taxes the rebels now have on selling food."

Zhai Guangsen, who was also with Cheng Renmo, also said: "Yes! Although there is a lot of tax added on silk and satin, we have never been able to sell these goods, so it can't be considered to have any impact. According to the current tax policy of the rebel army, it will We only have advantages and no disadvantages!”

"In addition, I feel that this rebel army can really conquer the world! In addition to taking away the benefits of the dignitaries, they also gave benefits to us and the people of the world."

Zhai Guangsen then expressed his opinion to Cheng Renmo.

Cheng Renmo smiled and said, "Yes, at least now, our Cheng family is willing to be the eyes and ears of their rebels."

As Cheng Renmo said, his Cheng family's caravan really packed their bags and left the city with a lot of local goods from Chuzhou. They started selling local goods along the way and used the money earned from selling the local goods to buy iron materials. and gunpowder, and also inquired about news along the way, and adopted babies and children.

The Zhizhou Yamen of the rebel army also began to collect commercial taxes.

to this end.

Zhu Yuanzhang, at Zhang Cheng's request, ordered the establishment of a Taxation Department under the Zhizhou Yamen, and asked Zhu Wenzheng to appoint the Taxation Department Ambassador to lead an official school of 100 people and recruit 500 people to be responsible for tax collection and tax relief.

After the rebels began to collect business taxes, the most talked about thing for the officials and people of Chuzhou was the high luxury tax.

The sellers and buyers of luxury goods have always been rich or noble people, so they can basically use various means to avoid bearing the tax burden.

now.

This group has to pay taxes and bear the main tax burden. For the people of Chuzhou, this is indeed something that is very interesting to see and worth talking about.

Therefore, on the first day when the luxury tax was levied, many Chuzhou citizens gathered at the Chuzhou City Gate Tax Office to watch the excitement.

Li Menggeng's brother Li Mengxin happened to bring a batch of rouge spices to the city on this day, but was stopped at the city gate by Zhu Wenzheng and people from the Taxation Department.

"Rouge and spices are luxury items. Goods costing a thousand dollars are taxed at five hundred dollars. You goods have to pay half of the price here before you can enter the city."

Zhu Wenzheng spoke to Li Mengxin because of this.

Li Mengxin was dissatisfied because his brother wanted to allocate his family's land to the common people. In addition, he did not know Zhu Wenzheng's true identity, so he thought that Zhu Wenzheng was just an ordinary tax official from Zhizhou Yamen who was born as a poor scholar, and he was also quite dissatisfied in his heart. The officials who despised the poor people now saw this and said:

"Our family has distributed all its land to the people in order to support the rebels. Why do we still need to be taxed so heavily now? Do any of you treat a family that sacrifices its family for the rebels like this?!"

After Li Mengxin said this, the surrounding scholars and people started talking about it.

"This is the second master of the Li family. I heard that someone from his father-in-law's family served as Hu Yuan's marshal!"

"Really? Does the rebel army in front of you really dare to collect taxes from their family?!"

(End of this chapter)