eastern european eagle

Chapter 565 Financial Meeting (II)

Peter had already imagined the empire having a large number of colonies, but he had something important to do next, so he gave up his imagination for the time being. "Baptiste, how much is the annual revenue from the monopoly of materials managed by your finance department?"

The Empire's monopoly on goods mainly included salt, some spices, ivory and other commodities, with an annual income of about 90 lei. The Minister of Finance reported to the Emperor truthfully that the income was relatively small because the price of salt, a necessity, had to be kept within the people's affordability.

"I understand. It seems that you have done a good job here and have worked hard for the development of the empire."

"I just did what I was supposed to do."

Peter began, "I have thought of a method before, which is to impose a uniform tax on each commodity, but the workload is too large, so I had to give up.

However, the empire has become stronger in recent years, and some people have become richer, but they still try every means to evade taxes, fearing that the government will take more from them. They don't think that if the empire does not have enough financial resources to maintain the army, then they will not be able to have more wealth. "Peter's emphasized tone made everyone jump in their hearts.

Baptiste asked carefully, "Your Majesty, are you planning to raise taxes?"

“Is there anything wrong with raising taxes? Which other country does not have higher taxes than Romania?
In order to collect military expenses for the war with Britain, France imposed head taxes and hearth taxes several times, and also continuously reduced the gold content of the currency. In the past, the Roman emperors also raised taxes several times to make up for the expenses. For this, the peasants and the poor rebelled several times, and even the so-called senators could not escape death. Compared with them, the life now is heaven.

I have to consider both the governance of the empire and the lives of the people, so I cannot raise taxes casually and must be cautious. "

Baptiste asked the emperor, "Your Majesty, what do you think should be done?"

“Since they have earned so much wealth during their lifetime, they should contribute a portion of it after their death to ensure that they go to heaven. This way, the empire can guarantee the safety of their descendants.

Moreover, when farmers died, the landlords would take a portion of their property, so the government would also have to take a portion of their property for security reasons.”

It is unprecedented for an emperor to levy an inheritance tax.

"Besides, this is not a sudden idea. Egypt already had this tax more than 2000 years ago. When a property owner wants to transfer his property to relatives or other people, the court will recognize the transfer as valid and will also take 1/10 of his property as a tax to the state.

I think inheritance tax can also be implemented in the empire, because it has many advantages. First, it can increase tax revenue. Second, it can adjust the gap between the rich and the poor among the subjects.

This is particularly important. If a person works hard from the age of 20, he may have his own land by the age of 50. If he is a successful businessman, it will be even more amazing. He can save at least 3000 lei in his lifetime. Compared with the new subjects who have just joined the empire and are struggling to survive, the children of these people can live comfortably without having to work hard to contribute to the empire. Even after several generations, they can easily become large landowners and wealthy people in the country. In the long run, it will cause the jealousy of others and is not conducive to social stability, so we need to use inheritance tax to regulate it. " "Don't the subjects work hard for merit and wealth just to make their lives better and pass it on to their descendants? ! I'm afraid that implementing this will dampen their enthusiasm!" Baptiste asked doubtfully.

"Too much wealth will only foster their arrogance and make them lack the motivation to strive for success. They will become greedy for pleasure and unwilling to contribute to the empire. The tax collection standard will also be adjusted to property valued at more than 2000 lei, which will reduce the burden on farmers and the poor."

"Your Majesty, I believe that all my subjects will appreciate your efforts, and the bill to collect inheritance tax will definitely be passed!" Listerine immediately expressed his attitude.

Others also expressed their support, among which Baptiste was the most active.

"Let's talk about the current situation in Europe." Speaking of this, Peter's face showed a solemn and excited look: "With the current strength of our Romanian Empire, it is already the most powerful country in the whole of Europe, and it has generally maintained peace in recent years.

However, there are still some countries in the west that have not yet submitted to the rule of the Empire. Brandenburg and Sigismund have joined the vortex of the Bohemian War. The Elector has written several letters requesting support. I have also provided some gold coins and weapons, but it is still a long way to go before the war ends. "

Foreign Minister Luca provided his own ideas to the emperor. He had successfully persuaded the emperor not to send troops directly, but to provide funds and weapons to help Brandenburg. At the same time, he brokered an agreement between England and the Berlin Alliance to improve their ability to respond independently.

"Your Majesty, I think it is best not to start a war blindly. The current situation is favorable to the empire. We only need to let our allies continue to attack the enemy and make them exhausted. In this way, the empire can continue to maintain its advantage, and no force will interfere with Constantinople."

"But Lord Luca, what if they form an alliance to attack again like they did last time? Burgundy and Orleans have been reorganizing their armies in recent years, and it seems that they are planning to take action against the empire." A Blue representative asked.

"Don't worry, sir. This is to be expected. The Empire cannot force Burgundy to abandon its army. At present, no country's army can last for more than a year like the Empire's army. This is our advantage.

Moreover, although the alliance is powerful, it has too many members and poor coordination of plans and interests, so it will disband or its combat effectiveness will decline after just a few months. It only needs to survive the first few months, and they will collapse without a fight. "

Peter also agreed with this plan. Now the Empire and its allies have formed a semi-encirclement of the Catholic world. England and Brandenburg are responsible for containment, while Rome continues to encircle and suppress the other side, especially the Holy Roman Empire.

"The most important things now are Andalucia and England. I think Castile and France will be busy for several years, even more than ten years."

Not long ago, Peter received a letter from Stephen. He said that he was ready to attack France. In order to put together an army, he used every manpower to the extreme. The population of Ireland greatly alleviated the labor shortage. In addition, Henry IV of Scotland died, and the new king Thomas signed a peace agreement with him in York. The worries were eliminated, and the next step was to face France.

(End of this chapter)