Chapter 73: The Cost of Taxation
What Duke Shen wants to say is not official business.
Because if it was business, it would have been said long ago if it took so long in the morning.
That can only be a private matter.
He Xi smiled slightly and said, "Unknowingly, it's already noon, so be it. How about the Duke staying for a simple meal?"
Duke Shen smiled slightly, as if he had received some signal, and said, "Okay."
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He Xi had dinner with Duke Shen. He said it was a simple meal, but in fact it was nothing.
It's not a matter of saving or not. Simply put, if Shen Guogong feels that He Xi is treating him lightly and affecting the relationship between the two parties, the loss to He Xi will not be a matter of a meal.
After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.
Duke Shen couldn't help but sigh and said, "It's He's cuisine that is the best in the world."
He Xi said: "Thank you."
Now the new crops have been planted for some time. Although they are still rare and expensive, He Xi estimates that they will enter the homes of ordinary people in the next ten years. Part of the delicious cuisine of Hefu is the use of these new species. For example, the use of peanuts. The usage of He Xi was summed up by countless famous chefs in later generations. Naturally, he is better than the current cook. In addition, He Xi brought to this world cooking methods that would not be available in later generations.
Hence the current situation.
He's cuisine is already famous.
The atmosphere has reached this point, and some things can be said.
Shen Guogong said: "Brother He, there are actually some things that I don't quite understand. For example, these banknotes, the treasure banknotes issued by the imperial court, have been falling over the years. You have issued at least one or two million taels of banknotes these days, right? But the price of this banknote has never fallen? Why is this?"
He Xi listened to Shen Guogong talk about the banknotes, and his heart moved, and he knew that Shen Guogong was tempted.
At this time, I am not afraid that Duke Shen will be tempted, but I am afraid that he will not be tempted. Because if you don't move, He Xi won't know what to do next? Zhang Youzhi, this demonstrator, has reached his limit.
Even in later generations, there are some invisible gaps in society. Many people have unexpected wealth, such as demolition, lottery, etc. It's easy to lose accidentally. And some lintels may seem like they don't have much money, but they have a steady stream of money. The latter absolutely looks down upon the former. Even if the former has more money, it is useless for many things.
In the Ming Dynasty, this situation was almost no longer a hidden rule, but an explicit rule.
If Zhang Youzhi didn't have He Xi's famous tattoo on his body, he would have died long ago.
Even Zhang Youzhi himself was scared. Without the clear support of He Xi or He Fu, Zhang Youzhi would probably give up his business.
In a capitalist society, money can buy everything. This sentence may seem simple, but in reality, money cannot buy everything. And this was even more true in ancient times.
He Xi explained to Shen Guogong the working principle of banknotes, how much was circulated, how much was recycled, how to keep it from depreciating, etc.
He Xi said these things in detail. He actually liked doing this kind of thing. After all, if one more person understands his approach, he may have one more person who is of the same mind, not to mention that this person is also a prince. This is a huge benefit.
It's just that Duke Shen is considered smart and understands some of the words, but he still doesn't understand most of them.
However, he understood one thing. According to He Xi's approach, there shouldn't be too many mistakes in this matter, which is good.
There are some things that you don’t need to listen too clearly to know whether they are reliable or not.
Duke Shen Guogong got down to the topic. He said, "Recently, there is a Puzhou Society here in Beijing. Have you heard of it?"
He Xi said: "Of course I have heard of it."
Shen Guogong said: "The problem of this Puzhou Society is not small. Many guards have reported it below. Many deserters have come to Puzhou Society. Moreover, there have been many conflicts between this Puzhou Society and the local people. I have seen it. Bloody. And I heard that this Puzhou Society has made a lot of money, tens of thousands of taels, right? Now it is difficult for a county below to have a tax of 10,000 taels. I am a little confused about this matter? I don’t know if it’s good or bad. Sir He, can you give me some advice?”
Shen Guogong said that the problems of Puzhou Society were all true.
The business environment in this era, no, it should be said that there is no such thing as a business environment in this era. How to resolve the many conflicts at the bottom? Beat, beat to death. Fighting to determine the outcome is actually the solution in many rural areas. Rural fighting still exists even in the 21st century.
This era is even more sparse and ordinary.
This is not to mention the pressure from the government. Zhang Youzhi has made money, so naturally many people who don't know the importance want to take action.
Zhang Youzhi refused, so he naturally had to retaliate.
This is normal.
This is what wild growth looks like.
It can even be said that the market competition is not so fierce now. In the future, thousands of workers may take to the streets to compete for business.
As for the fact that Puzhou Society made too much money, this is also a question worth thinking about. It was a common thing in later generations for a trading company to make more money than the taxes of a county. However, in the Ming Dynasty, Especially for the Ming Dynasty in this era, it was an earth-shattering thing.
The ancients were particular about not revealing their wealth, but that does not mean that there are no rich people in the world. However, Zhang Youzhi is different from these people. His money is in the eyes of the government. It is clear at a glance how many projects he has taken on and how much money he has in the bank.
In addition, Zhang Youzhi has developed too fast. It has to make people think.
He Xi said: "Yes, I am also thinking about this matter. Taxation of business companies in various places, such as Puzhou Company, requires a business tax. As for how much, I haven't thought about it yet. But I think this is also a good thing. .”
Duke Shen said: "It's a good thing, what's so good about it?"
He Xi said: "Taxation. Based on the profits of Puzhou Society this year, even if the imperial court pays a tax of fifteen per cent, it will be around a thousand taels. But how many people are used? The cost of taxation is too low."
Shen Guogong said: "The cost of taxation?"
He Xi said: "How much does it cost for one stone of grain to go from the common people's fields to the countryside and counties, and from below to the imperial treasury? I don't know exactly, but Duke Shen should know it in his mind. Every stone of grain is brought with him. It's bloody. But the tax of Puzhou Society is one thousand taels, from bottom to top, I'm afraid it only needs one official to supervise it."
"The convenience in this is the benefit to the court."
"In fact, for every point collected from land tax and corvee labor, 70 to 80% of it was consumed. The remaining bit was in the hands of the imperial court. The imperial court felt that there was insufficient money and food, but the people below were already devastated and the world was unstable. Now it is like this In this way, the cost of taxation is very small, and almost any amount of tax can be transferred to the hands of the court. It is the merchants who bear the burden. What big things can happen to merchants. This is the way to long-term peace and stability in the world. "
Duke Shen originally wanted to make money, but after hearing He Xi's grand remarks, he was in awe.
For a moment, I even forgot the purpose of coming.
Regardless of the various issues between Shen Guogong and the emperor. But he is the founder of the Ming Dynasty and has special feelings for the Ming Dynasty. I never thought about doing harm to Daming. After all, the hereditary title itself represents a stake in the Ming Empire. Although this stake is small.
However, the relationship between nobles and the imperial court, sharing weal and woe, remains unchanged.
As for what the land tax is like, Shen Guogong also knows very well. He is just not as good as his father, but he is not the kind of dude who doesn't know the grain. He knows very well that the people below give the court not only physical property, but also much more. What an intangible contribution.
Just because the court can't get these contributions doesn't mean they don't exist.
Just the concept of taxation cost made Shen Guogong suddenly become a supporter of He Xi. In particular, there is support in reality, that is, customs tax. Now the customs tax is fixed at more than five million taels, which is a huge sum of money. But I don’t see any changes in the world, but if I want to add a land tax of five million taels to the people of the world, it will be a situation that shakes the world.
You know, the total of Chongzhen's three salaries did not exceed 10 million taels of silver.
But everyone knows the outcome.
