Daming: My grandfather is Emperor Hongwu!

Chapter 199 Taxes

"Taxation?"

Hearing this, Zhu Biao was even more surprised, and reprimanded him in a somewhat nonsensical tone, "What a mess, are taxes collected casually? The country has only been in power for 20 years, and it's too late to recuperate. Farmers, workers and mulberry merchants have finally regained some vitality!"

"Father, what I'm talking about is commercial tax, pure commercial tax!"

Zhu Xiongying opened his mouth and explained, "The tax collected from merchants for doing business is the canal tax and the customs tax!" As he spoke, he emphasized, "Business tax must be collected!"

Taxation, the death of Ming Dynasty!
It's not that the Ming Dynasty lacked money. Some people say that the Song Dynasty was the richest in all dynasties, but this is not entirely true.

Among all the dynasties, only in the Ming Dynasty, the silver from all over the world flocked to China.The whole world is crazy about Chinese tea, silk, cotton cloth, porcelain and various handmade products.

Daming iron nails, iron pans, wallpaper and wall coverings, ceramic tiles and wood carving furniture are sold all over the world.Especially the southern region of Ming Dynasty, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other places became the largest trade center in the world.

Not to mention far away, it is the reason why the old man was able to rule the world from south to north.Relying on money from the south and cotton cloth.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the reason why it had the confidence to launch wars against the Great Wall year after year was also because of the money from the south.

But the money is not a regular tax, but a tax.

In the Ming Dynasty, apart from the founding Emperor Hongwu, they were too tolerant of the rich merchants and gentry class in the south.So that later, after the mid-term, the commercial tax in the south could not be collected at all.

In the late Ming Dynasty, when there were internal and external troubles in the Ming Dynasty, rich people in the south of the Yangtze River were overflowing with oil, and various trades were in full swing, but the wealthy lands that could be controlled by officials and gentry could not be counted on.

During the reign of Chongzhen, there were Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others inside, and Jianzhou Jurchen outside, and there were severe droughts for 17 consecutive years.

The imperial court levies three additional rates, Liao rate, practice rate, and payment rate.

All the money was put on the poor people, so that more and more people rebelled.It's not that the emperor is willing to add to the people, he has no choice.

Taxes in the south cannot be collected.

Taking ZJ as an example, the place where the three major salaries HN are full of hungry people is 29. ZJ is a land of fish and rice, and various trades are developed, but only 9000 taels of silver are collected.

That's it, it's still the common people's money for selling fields and rice.

Those rich and powerful businessmen, officials, gentry and businessmen, rich and powerful families for many generations, with wealth of more than tens of millions, they don't pay a penny of tax!
The death of Ming Dynasty is just two words, no money!

It's not that there is no money, it is that you can't collect taxes!

If there is money to help the victims, who will rebel internally?

If you have money to pay the frontier soldiers, who wouldn't fight with their lives?
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was not that there were no loyal ministers and good generals, nor was it that there were no soldiers who dared to die.Look at those Ming soldiers who surrendered to Jianzhou Jurchen. After eating and drinking, they were more fierce than the Eight Banners when they went south.

Zhu Xiongying told Zhu Biao that commercial tax is to start now and plan for the future!
In the future, not only will the commercial tax be collected, but the agricultural tax will no longer be exempted from the official and gentry class.

Of course, these things will be done in the future and cannot be rushed now.

"Business tax?" Zhu Biao seemed quite moved, "Well, the rich merchants in Jiangnan are indeed very rich. ZJ Chief Secretary wrote a note, saying that there are only cotton merchants' workshops, which stretch for ten miles, and employ as few workers as possible. Dozens or more will come forward, weaving day and night, non-stop!"

After saying that, he paused, and smiled at Zhu Xiongying, "However, you have to know. Since ancient times, it has been the world of officials, merchants and gentlemen. Even the emperor, it is not easy to collect their taxes!"

"Aren't the Tartar princes great? But when you ask for money, you have to discuss it with them!"

Zhu Xiongying showed a murderous look, "Father, this is Da Ming, not a fatuous Da Yuan!"

"Oh, tell me, how do you charge it?" Zhu Biao asked with a smile.

"My son has been studying, and has never been in contact with government affairs. I don't know!" This is true. Although Zhu Xiongying is now the grandson of the emperor, he is the old man's big baby in the palace, and he has never had any political affairs. Contact, not to mention experience.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Zhu Biao said with a smile, "You're talking nonsense!"

The stubborn temper in Zhu Xiongying's heart came up, and he said, "Father, although I don't have any contact with government affairs, I also know that my business tax in Ming Dynasty is too general!"

"Grandpa Huang said that he should rest with the people and pay less money. Merchants from all over the world pay a city gate tax to enter the city, which is a drop in the bucket. Moreover, the money is mostly used in the local area and cannot enter the national treasury!"

"These things, my son knows that we need to think long-term, but there are a few things that can be done immediately!"

As he said that, he walked under the full map of the universe hanging in Zhubiao Palace, and said, "Father, look! Ningbo is specialized in doing business with Japanese people, while Quanzhou and Guangzhou are doing business with Westerners!"

"You do the math yourself. How much tax did these three customs pay to the country every year during the Song Dynasty, and how much is there now?"

Zhu Biao fell into deep thought, and said slowly, "Last year, there were only two 10,000+ in Guangzhou!"

"It's not as good as a fraction of the previous year!" Zhu Xiongying said, "Grandpa Huang said that the corvement is light and the tax is light, but he didn't say that there will be no customs duties!"

"My son suggested that these three customs offices should be directly transferred to the center of the imperial court!"

"It belongs directly to the household department, and the imperial court directly dispatches the tax department and the inspection department. All ledgers and the quantity of ships and goods in the past must be registered, and the taxes collected are directly turned over to the treasury!"

"My son knows my father's concerns. You are afraid that the people below will do bad things. If the center wants one thousand, they will get ten thousand!"

"The Ministry of Households is directly in charge, so it's over! Without the help of other people, I will not believe it. My Ming Dynasty ruled the world, and the sea trade was better than the previous dynasty. The customs tax money is even less than the previous dynasty?"

"In addition to these customs taxes, third uncle's Shanxi side trades cattle and horses with Tazi every year, and salt, tea, sugar and iron are also astronomical figures!"

"We don't collect this money now, and if we want to collect it in the future, we won't be able to collect it!"

Zhu Xiongying said seriously, "If you don't take advantage of the time when the knife is shining, when will you wait?"

Zhu Biao pondered for a long time, and looked at Zhu Xiongying in disbelief, "Where did you learn all this?"

Although Zhu Xiongying only mentioned one direction, Zhu Biao, who has experienced many years, can see the way and the prospect at a glance.

Even if only one is implemented, the customs is under the central government, which means Daming has an extra stable source of income!

"I thought about it myself!" Zhu Xiongying replied, "In my eyes, agricultural tax and commercial tax are the two legs of Daming!"

"Walking on two legs is safe!"

"Now the Lianghuai salt tax is used as military supplies, you can't guarantee that it will be so much every year, can you?"

"But commercial taxes are different. The more prosperous the trade, the more profitable the merchants will be, and the more taxes will be paid!"

Zhu Biao tapped his fingers on the table, "You are right, but the root cause of this matter is not the businessman, but the..."

"Gentlemen, officials and businessmen!" Zhu Xiongying added.

"The gentry is the pillar of the country!" Zhu Biao said in a low voice, "It has a lot to do with it!"

"The emperor's grandpa is too generous to them!" Zhu Xiongying said seriously, "Those who have a reputation don't pay taxes, let those businessmen join them! According to my son, officials and gentry pay food and taxes together, and don't give them these privileges!"

Suddenly, the old man's voice sounded from outside.

"Who taught you these words?"

(End of this chapter)