Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 82: Financial difficulties, how to increase income?
Of course the Ming Dynasty had money, it just couldn’t collect it.

Either impose taxes on the real ordinary people and divide the money collected into 30% and 70%, and the emperor and the national treasury can get 30%.

Otherwise, they can only ask for money from those groups who have status, extensive connections, and are considered the pillars of the country.

Imposing additional taxes on the people does not conform to the policy of giving the people a rest, as the civil officials often call for. Now that the emperor has asked how to increase revenue, how should we answer?
At this moment, Shen Yikuan finally made up his mind to leave quickly, and he didn't even want to pretend to retire.

The new monarch may be truly gifted, but he may also be conceited because of this.

No matter who in the court wanted to truly and steadily increase annual revenue, they would inevitably have to take action against officials and gentry all over the world.

That was Zhang Juzheng’s fate!
Tian Le was the Minister of War, so it was not easy for him to say anything about this issue.

The cabinet ministers should be the first to speak.

Zhu Changluo only asked how to increase revenue, and Shen Shixing and others couldn't even say many clichés.

After all, many clichés are just about how to save money.

"It's hard to say? Then I'll break it down and talk about the source of annual income first."

Zhu Changluo started again, and he spoke without hesitation.

"The annual income from taxes is about 250,000 taels. In addition, the silver from horse grass, agricultural silk, human silk, and hemp is 450,000 to 500,000 taels, the salt tax is more than 1 million taels, and the rest is miscellaneous. The total is about 3 million taels."

Chen Qi was sweating even more profusely: When did the emperor know the Ministry of Revenue's revenue in such detail?

Zhu Changluo continued, "The miscellaneous annual revenue is actually the largest, including the miscellaneous items of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of the Imperial Household, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of War. I have calculated the miscellaneous annual revenue, and it is actually 3.5 million to 4 million taels a year. The collection of taxes is like drinking poison to quench thirst, and the sale of monks and Taoists' certificates also undermines the tax base. The labor service silver and the local tribute are all levied on the people. There is no need to think about these aspects."

Ever since the emperor revealed the truth about the gold, flowers and silver, the faces of the ministers in the Yangxin Palace became more and more solemn.

The emperor is so proficient in financial affairs, how can he still speak nonsense?
The so-called opening-up case means obtaining money by selling places for students and military officers.

This is a topic that court officials are very reluctant to talk about, but it actually exists.

The court's annual revenue from this aspect was about 400,000 taels, and those who obtained the status of students or military officers through paying donations did so only to enjoy special privileges and exemptions from taxes and labor service, so it was said to be drinking poison to quench thirst.

The same applies to monks’ and Taoists’ certificates of ordination.

During the Hongwu period, certificates of ordination were issued once every three years, with no more than three to five hundred issued each time.

During the Yongle reign, it was held once every five years, but each time there could be as many as 10,000 people.

Up to now, it has actually become irregular, even twice a year.

A certificate of ordination cost twelve taels of silver, but monks and Taoists could be exempted from taxes and labor service. The certificate was very precious, and sometimes one had to prepare a hundred taels of silver to actually get one.

This item can now generate an annual income of 200,000 taels.

Ten or twenty thousand certificates of ordination were issued every year. Where could the Ming Dynasty find so many real monks and Taoists?
But there was no other way. Even Zhang Juzheng needed to obtain financial support by issuing and selling certificates of ordination.

Zhu Changluo said so much, and only Tian Le was not surprised.

After all, he had seen the words "Officials and gentry pay taxes together".

The scope of tax exemptions was already too large, covering not only students and candidates who had passed the imperial examinations, civil and military officials, retired officials, nobles and relatives, but also people who had paid donations, monks and Taoists...

If we really investigate, we will find that there are not too many problems, and the scale of the problematic parts will not be too large.

A landowner who owns land separately may have the identity of a student who pays donations; a hidden household who makes donations may suddenly have an extra certificate of ordination in his home.

Even if you really investigate, you will find that there are actually very few ordinary officials and gentry in the Ming Dynasty who own more than a thousand acres of land.

Most of those who can pass this level are royal family members, noble relatives, and important officials.

Can the emperor treat these people badly?
Tian Le looked at the emperor in silence: What should we do? How can we gradually get to the point where officials and gentry need to pay taxes together?

Wang Xijue stood up in silence and said, "Your Majesty, if we want to increase revenue, we can only start with the banknotes, foreign ships, and commercial taxes." Zhu Changluo looked at him and did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, "What do you think, Lord Shen and Lord Shen?"

It's no surprise that this part was brought up.

Since they cannot plunder the people and cannot mobilize the gentry, they can only make the merchants suffer.

However, the taxes collected from the Chaoguan, Sibosi, Yuegang and commercial taxes were definitely not within the scope of tax exemptions.

The emperor did not touch the most core part, but touched the interests that developed later, and the officials in the court finally had something to say.

Zhu Changluo also accepted this moderate choice.

What’s more: If you want to use businessmen, you need to make this group more aware of who is oppressing them.

Of course it couldn’t be the emperor, because the emperor had already won over the Shanxi merchants and set up the Changminghao.

The emperor is weak in front of the gentry all over the world.

If the merchants cannot defeat the gentry, then they should naturally join the emperor's side.

I believe that they will come up with a massive amount of inside information, clues and evidence related to the gentry by then.

Zhu Changluo easily led the situation to this point. No one could have imagined that the emperor would value "lowly" merchants so much.

"Due to the Korean War, Yuegang was temporarily closed and has not been reopened yet." Shen Yi Guan bowed and answered, "If you want to strictly collect the currency customs, foreign ships, and commercial taxes, you must reorganize the official duties and reopen Yuegang."

"...I second the motion." Shen Shixing stood up and answered, looking a little tired.

After the opening of the port in the Longqing period, the amount of silver collected in Yuegang was no more than 30,000 taels a year.

But in this way, many maritime merchants would at least not be suspected of violating the law of smuggling.

It also represents the attitude of the court.

Zhu Changluo nodded and said, "Last year, the eight major banknote customs received a total of 343,729 taels of silver, the commission for foreign ships amounted to 76,294 taels, and the commercial tax totaled 152,178 taels."

Everyone has become so familiar with him that they are numb to the numbers.

Zhu Changluo continued, "Although the mine silver is not included, I have checked and found that the annual revenue reported is not much different. Father sent mine supervisors and tax collectors to various provinces. Although there was some extortion, there was still an annual revenue of more than 300,000 taels. As for the amount they extorted, it was eight or nine times more than that. Even if we exclude the mine silver and the silver extorted directly from the people, I have an account in my mind of how much the Ming Dynasty's annual revenue should be."

He looked at them one by one and said slowly, "Open Yuegang again, approved. First, strictly enforce the banknote customs and foreign ships' tax collection, and collect commercial taxes. The Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Censorate, and the local governments all have things to do. I just want to know, now that only merchants are suffering, will the people's hearts change?"

"…I will do my best to appease him."

Shen Yi always said the same thing.

Although the core tax and labor exemptions that officials and gentry enjoyed were not affected, how many people who can obtain travel permits and do business in various places today have no connection with officials and gentry?

As for the corruption of the banknote-control and customs officials and local officials...isn't this what should be done? How do you write the word "honesty"?
The emperor said that he could pretend to be confused, and it would be better for all officials and gentry in the world to pretend to be confused as well.

If everyone tries to smooth things over, it will only make those families who are more business-oriented suffer at first, or it will only make them suffer for a while.

Who can tell how far things will go?
As expected, Tian Le stood up and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, this is about the Cao Army..."

"Isn't Xinjianbo in the capital?"

So Tian Le sat down again.

Shen Yiquan couldn't help but feel that he was just adding insult to injury: You see, the emperor realized the important relationship with the Cao Army.

But so what?

Take Linqing Chaoguan as an example: the food and clothing of millions of canal workers depend on it. How many people along that river make money by transporting goods and avoiding taxes?
(End of this chapter)