Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 544 Postwar Conference - Strengthening Supervision and Tax Reform
In the evening, Li Wanyong, Park Jae-fan, Jin Zhichang, Zhang Chengye and others arrived early at the inn where Wu Diaoqing and Mei Dongxing were staying and waited.

"Lord Lee, Lord Park, Mr. Kim, Mr. Wu Yuan, everything went well. His Majesty has agreed to cooperate with your country."

Wu Diaoqing and the others returned to the inn and saw everyone waiting in the lobby on the first floor. They smiled and said, "Let's go to the backyard and discuss it in detail."

"Please come in, my lords."
"In order to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, the Empire has put forward several requirements, the main contents of which are as follows:

1. Busan, Wonsan and Incheon were added as trading ports between the two countries, and the activity range of imperial merchants and immigration officials was expanded to 50 kilometers along the coast.

2 In terms of taxation on imported goods, the Empire demanded the same treatment as the Qing Dynasty, Japan, Britain, the United States, Germany, France and other countries.

3. Agree to your country's request to send students to the mainland.
The number of government-sponsored overseas students is controlled within 100 people per year, and the tuition fee is 100 Chinese Yuan per person per year. The duration is three years, and the expenses of food, clothing, housing, and transportation during the trip to and from the mainland and North Korea, as well as during the study period, shall be borne by your country. During the study period, your country's overseas students need to abide by the laws of the empire. If any illegal behavior is found, it will be punished in accordance with the laws of the empire. At the same time, the empire needs to intervene in the selection examination of overseas students. Only those who pass the assessment of the empire can be allowed to study in the mainland.

4. The Han Empire respected the independent status of the Kingdom of Korea and proposed to establish formal diplomatic relations and upgrade the relations between the two countries to the ministerial level.

5 In order to show our respect and support for the Kingdom of Korea and deter the barbaric forces in Northeast Asia, the Han Empire will send a naval fleet to pay a friendly visit to the Kingdom of Korea.

On behalf of the Han government, Mei Dongxing formally outlined in detail the conditions and requirements for cooperation between the two countries.

"Lord Mei, the Kingdom of Korea sincerely hopes to establish a comprehensive cooperative relationship with your country. However, the Qing court has a tight control over the Kingdom. If the two countries formally establish diplomatic relations, I am afraid that it will lead to interference from the Qing court, which will be disadvantageous to your country."

Li Wanyong said cautiously.

"Master Li, don't worry. In the second half of this year, the affairs of the Republic of Brazil will be concluded, and the Imperial Navy will be free to send the main fleet to make state visits along the Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Indian Ocean, the South Seas, the Far East, and Northeast Asia. Not only your country, but also the German African territories in Africa, Ethiopia, Siam, the East Indies, the Philippines, Japan and other countries and regions along the way will make friendly visits."

"I understand. After returning to China, I will immediately convey your country's attention and support to His Majesty the King and His Majesty the Princess."

Li Wanyong heard the subtext in Mei Dongxing's words. The naval strength of the Han Empire had greatly increased. In the South American continent, there was no rival for a while. The newly occupied 140 million square kilometers of land was enough for the Han Kingdom to digest for a period of time. Therefore, the Han Kingdom wanted to take advantage of the peace in South America and the overall victory in the Paraguayan War to send fleets to various overseas regions to show off its military power and declare the presence of the Han Kingdom in various regions.

"Do you have any other comments?"

"In principle, there are no problems with taxes on imported goods, increasing the number of trading ports, and fees for international students."

Li Wanyong and his companions discussed privately for a while, and then Li Wanyong spoke up and replied on behalf of everyone: "I appreciate the help of Lord Wu, Lord Mei, General Li and other lords. This is a small token of my appreciation. It is not a token of respect, but I hope you will accept it with a smile."

As Li Wanyong was speaking, the attendants beside him took out a few boxes. After opening them, bright orange gold and shining night pearls were revealed.

"Master Li, what are you doing? Put it away quickly, don't let others see it and cause misunderstandings!"

When several people saw the jewels and gold in front of them, their faces changed.

"My lords, I originally planned to send the gifts to your homes after you rested, but I heard that you will attend the court meeting tomorrow and stay at the post station in Chang'an City tonight. Time is urgent, so I took out the gifts in front of you. I hope you can forgive me."

"Sir Li, you misunderstood. Even if you gave us a gift in private, we would not accept it. Not to mention that the laws of the empire are strict, and accepting bribes in private can result in dismissal from office at the least, and punishment at the worst. Moreover, helping you convey your cooperation intention is the duty of the officials of the empire. I appreciate your kindness, but I cannot accept the gift. Otherwise, it will not only harm us, but also have a negative impact on the cooperation between the two countries."

"I am sorry for my lack of consideration and for causing trouble for you gentlemen. Please forgive me, gentlemen."

Li Wanyong realized the seriousness of the problem and quickly apologized.

"If you are truly interested, you may as well follow the formal procedures and hand over the gifts to the imperial government as a gift. This way, your wishes will be fulfilled."

Wu Diaoqing spoke up.

"What Lord Wu suggested is that I should put the gift away now, put it together with the gift originally planned to be given to His Majesty the Emperor of your country, and formally present it to your government through your Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"Master Li, my lords, it's getting late. I have important matters to attend to tomorrow, so I won't accompany you any longer. We will pack our luggage and return to the city. I hope that everything goes well for you on your return journey."

"I won't bother you adults any more."
On April 1890, 4, in a meeting room in Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty, except for some important officials stationed in Paraguay and the Republic of Brazil, the main leaders of various regions and departments at home and abroad, including the mainland, Songkhla, Lan Fang, and Congo, all appeared in the meeting room.

Li Mingyuan originally planned to hold a meeting after the withdrawal of troops from the Republic of Brazil was completed. However, after reading the criminal case records submitted by the Inspectorate over the years, especially the increasing number of cases of official corruption, he decided to hold the meeting in advance and promote institutional reform.

Immigration and entry management, and smuggling of export goods are the hardest hit areas for officials to commit corruption and break the law. The population surge every year has brought much-needed fresh blood to the local area, but also brought some negative atmosphere to the Far East. The multi-pronged approach of compulsory naturalization education, naturalization review, and official supervision has prevented the hard-earned national atmosphere from being impacted. However, with the increase in the total population, the growth momentum of similar illegal cases has not been effectively curbed. It is not easy for the Han Kingdom to achieve today's development achievements. Li Mingyuan does not want the country he built to be assimilated into a paradise for bureaucrats, landlords, and businessmen. For this reason, even if the rectification may harm the interests of some upper-class people, Li Mingyuan still decided to continue to implement institutional reforms.

"Everyone, the Paraguayan war was a great victory. The army, navy, government departments and all citizens have made corresponding contributions. On this day of national celebration, you should be happy for a while. However, we are the leaders of the empire's development and are responsible for the tens of millions of people living on 500 million square kilometers of land. Therefore, we cannot relax or be careless for a moment.

Look, this is the criminal case data compiled by the Inspectorate. I don’t know how you feel after reading it. After reading it, I only have one feeling: it’s shocking!

Twelve years ago, the empire unified Argentina and the people were excited. However, behind the country's expansion and thriving economic development, what was concealed was that some officials and businessmen had a lax and indifferent legal awareness, and all kinds of corruption and law-breaking cases increased sharply. At that time, many officials who were originally Nanyang merchants advised me that I should govern the country with benevolence and be lenient to the people. They suggested reducing the penalties and giving officials and businessmen who violated the law a chance to correct their mistakes in view of their past achievements.

In the face of persuasion, twelve years ago, my reply was that within the empire, officials and civilians are all equal. Those who have made contributions to the empire have been rewarded with land, property, status, honor, etc. If they break the law, they will still be treated leniently. In the long run, will the Han Empire still be a country for all citizens? I am afraid it will become a country for a few people in power!

Twelve years ago, I pushed for rectification. Today, corruption and collusion between officials and businessmen have reappeared. Therefore, in order to prevent the situation from getting worse, we must intervene early and strengthen supervision of officials and military violations of laws and disciplines. If we find one, we will punish it and never condone it!
Chief Wang, I authorize the Inspectorate to set up a top-level immigration and smuggling investigation team to conduct comprehensive supervision of immigration transportation, entry, management, and import and export trade transactions. All persons involved in the case, regardless of their status or rank, will be counted and interrogated. If sufficient evidence is found, they will be handed over to the Ministry of Police for handling. "

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Procuratorate President Wang Youtian stood up and responded.

"The strength of the empire is increasing day by day, and the lives of the people are getting better day by day. At present, all aspects of the empire are in a stage of rapid development, and all classes can enjoy the dividends brought by national development.
However, the share of dividends that each class of citizens can enjoy is certain. According to the European powers, if the pie is made bigger, the dividends received by each class will increase.

However, the pie cannot keep getting bigger. A country's economy and strength will eventually reach their peak. If we do not reasonably divide the pie shares during the period of growth, and allow groups such as businessmen and officials to use their power to seize the development dividends that originally belonged to ordinary citizens, it will be even more difficult to solve the distribution problem when economic development stagnates.
Moreover, during the period of economic growth, those greedy people who hold the right of distribution are unwilling to give up the interests that belong to ordinary citizens. When economic development stagnates and it becomes more difficult to obtain funds, they are probably even more reluctant to give up their share of the profits they have occupied!
We are the founders of the empire's establishment and development. We must formulate laws and rules from the source, discover problems and solve them as early as possible. We cannot only care about our own interests and leave problems to future generations, and use the excuse of believing in the wisdom of future generations to fool the people! "

Li Mingyuan drank a cup of tea, took a breath, and continued: "Of course, in recent years, the country's economy has developed rapidly, and the national income has also increased rapidly. The income of government officials and soldiers should also be increased. Based on the local national median income, the basic salary of government employees below the clerk level is set at 80-150% of the median salary.

For officers above the section level, their salaries will be gradually increased according to their rank and position, with the upper limit being five times the median salary. The military will also use this as a reference to make detailed adjustments based on different military branches and garrison areas.”

"Your Majesty, I suggest that you refer to the United Kingdom and Germany and reform the tax system to impose asset taxes on the wealthy who hold assets that meet certain standards!"

Zhao Yan, Minister of Finance, suggested: "The UK promulgated the inheritance tax collection standards as early as 1888 years ago. In 1, the UK revised the inheritance tax collection content, raising the inheritance tax collection threshold to pounds, and levying an additional % tax on movable and immovable property with a value of more than pounds inherited by individuals.

In 1799, Britain proposed to levy personal income tax.

In 1842, personal income tax was officially implemented in the UK. According to the tax rate, citizens with an annual income of less than 150 pounds are exempt from personal income tax.

In 1880, the threshold for personal income tax in the UK was raised to £160, and the personal income tax rate was raised from 2.9% to 3.3%. From 1842 to 1880, the average annual income of the British was about £20, and personal income tax was levied only on middle- and high-income groups. More than 90% of ordinary British people were not affected by personal income tax. On the contrary, because it increased government fiscal revenue and reduced the burden of taxation on the grassroots people, the collection of inheritance tax and personal income tax was welcomed by the general public in the UK.

"Imposing asset taxes and using the government's tax system to balance the national income gap and adjust the distribution share are good ways to solve the widening gap between the rich and the poor."

Li Mingyuan nodded in agreement and said, "Personal income tax, inheritance tax, and departure asset tax, these property taxes can all be included in the scope of subsequent tax collection as part of the tax system reform. However, these tax systems are new systems after all. In order to reduce the resistance of the tax collection population, the personal income tax threshold can be set at 5 to 10 times the median annual salary of local citizens, and the inheritance tax threshold can be set at 10 Hanyuan. For the portion exceeding the threshold, a 1% inheritance tax will be levied.

As for the tax on outbound assets, the collection standard is set in the range of 10% to 20% of the total assets.

For the time being, we will set it according to this standard and establish the new tax system first. If necessary, we can make changes later.”

"Your Majesty, although the threshold for asset tax is high, according to the inheritance tax standard, the number of local citizens who meet the conditions for taxation is less than 2% of the total population. However, after all, the asset tax has been opened. I am worried that if it is officially implemented, it will cause panic among some people and may lead to an outflow of assets."

An official stood up and said.

"Overseas countries are very cautious about the Chinese. Not to mention immigration, it is difficult for them to even enter the country. Without the protection of the imperial government, where can they go? Return to the Far East and become slaves for the Qing court? If so, it is better to let them go so as not to affect the unity and stability of the empire!"

An officer said nonchalantly.

"The reason why England and Germany rose among the European countries is because their leaders dared to carry out reforms to protect the interests of ordinary citizens. If everyone didn't want to offend others and always wanted to be harmonious, then why would they revolt? They could just work as miners in the Peruvian mines."

"Looking back at the thousands of years of Chinese history, reforms and innovations have always been achieved without bloodshed and sacrifice. Under the leadership of Your Majesty, millions of people have established a country in a foreign land, snatched land and wealth from the descendants of white colonists, and have not experienced major internal bloodshed and losses. At this time, taking advantage of the favorable opportunity of expanding 140 million square kilometers of territory, winning the war, and the high morale of the people, it is the right time to carry out tax reform. I agree with Minister Zhao's suggestion."
"My subordinates agree." "My subordinates agree."

As the discussion deepened, more and more officials and generals spoke out in support of tax reform and the imposition of asset taxes.

(End of this chapter)