Soon, the popularity of the Grain and Liquor Tax Law submitted by the Procuratorate overshadowed the disaster.
From kings and nobles to ordinary people, everyone was talking about this matter.
Most people strongly support this bill, only a few people are opposed, but their voices are not loud and they seem to be very unconfident.
There is no doubt that this is very beneficial to farmers, citizens and businessmen.
But for the big landowners and the powerful, it actually has two sides. They can make more money because they can pay less taxes.
Because for these big landowners, the tax is basically 20%. Now that this tax is exempted, there is a lot of room for price manipulation.
It’s just that the room for maneuver is small. It is difficult for them to gain more benefits from the court or the people by taking advantage of natural disasters or man-made disasters, nor is it easy for them to enhance their influence by monopolizing food.
This makes them feel unconfident in their opposition, because, after all, this is a reduction in regular taxes and an increase in special taxes.
However, there are still some "little cuties" who are smart enough to say in their newspapers that doing so will affect fiscal revenue.
As a result, the business of this newspaper shop plummeted.
...
...
After all, all those who read the newspaper are taxpayers.
Young scholars in particular strongly criticized such remarks.
The voices supporting this grain and liquor tax law are growing louder.
Faced with such a strong outcry and the disaster at hand, Fu Bi did not dare to delay. From any perspective, this bill would benefit the country and the people, and would even benefit the landlords, so he immediately reported it to the emperor.
This kind of breaking of conventions must have been approved by the emperor.
However, at this time, under the chairmanship of Wang Anshi, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Three Departments jointly submitted a disaster relief plan of work-for-relief. At the same time, the Three Departments also proposed a tax currency plan.
Everyone already knew about work-for-relief.
The key is the tax coin!
The opposition was immediately overwhelming.
The conservatives are also quite conservative in this regard. They are extremely defensive against paper money, because whether it is Jiaozi or Yanchao, they have been proven to be a powerful tool for plundering the wealth of the people.
You don't distribute grain, but you distribute paper money. Everyone knows what Sima Zhao is thinking!
The key point is that Xue Xiang's character was very bad in the eyes of Fu Bi, Sima Guang and others, so Xue Xiang increased taxes on the currency.
This is the political craze!
It can poison people to death.
This made Wang Anshi a little unhappy. It's really true that comparing yourself with others makes you feel pissed. Why is Zhang Fei's bill so popular? He specifically targets you powerful people. Does he think that I, Wang Anshi, am easy to bully?
Chuigong Hall.
"Does Mr. Fu know about the relief plan submitted by Wang Jiefu?"
Zhao Xu asked with a humble look on his face.
He has been much more low-key recently. Even though he has been doing one thing after another, it still has a significant impact on him!
Fu Bi said without hesitation: "I do not agree."
"Why?"
Zhao Xu asked.
Fu Bi said truthfully: "I agree with the use of work instead of relief, but I do not agree with the use of tax coins to do so, because this behavior is very risky. Even if the tax coins are successfully issued, it will only be a waste of money. But who can predict what will happen tomorrow?
What will the court do if it runs into financial difficulties next year? Judging from the past experience of Jiaozi and Yanchao, they will eventually lead to public resentment.
The imperial court should work hard to help the people, but it should also be down-to-earth and act within its capabilities. Such opportunistic and overestimating one's own capabilities will only lead to more harm than good."
Zhao Xu said: "But the salt notes issued by Hezhong Prefecture have achieved great success."
Fu Bi said: "As far as I know, the finances of Hezhong Prefecture were in jeopardy due to the salt debt. If it weren't for the batch of private salt that fell from the sky, the consequences would be disastrous!
Three years later, Hezhong Prefecture will face another crisis. In the eyes of the old ministers, Hezhong Prefecture has not yet achieved real success in terms of salt and money. "
Zhao Xu added: "But Lord Fu cannot guarantee that this will fail."
Fu Bi said: "Your Majesty, you should be prudent in governing the country. Things like this that are too risky should be avoided as much as possible."
Zhao Xu hesitated for a while, and then said, "You all have your own reasons. Why don't we put this bill in the Legislative Council and interrogate it together with the grain and wine bill from the Procuratorate?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Bi was delighted and immediately said, "I obey your command."
When this news spread, the conservatives were very satisfied, because if the emperor were to decide directly, Wang Anshi's policy would most likely be passed, after all, the Three Departments, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Works all supported it.
Fu Bi was worried that the other party would find excuses to oppose, so he quickly announced that the Legislative Council would hold hearings on the two bills instead of the Legislative Council, and stated that it would be held in the Royal Court in two days.
The reason why Xiangguo Temple was not chosen this time is because Xiangguo Temple may also be a party with an interest.
The reformists were depressed.
Why is that?
This is the policy of the Political Affairs Council, why should it be reviewed together with the Legislative Council?
It's outrageous!
This is why Fu Bi changed the Legislative Council into a hearing room, because he was worried that they would use this as an excuse to oppose.
Deng Wan immediately ran to find Xue Xiang and said, "Sansi Envoy, how can you do this? This is against the rules!"
Xue Xiang smiled and said, "It was I who suggested this to Your Majesty."
Deng Wan didn't come back to his senses for a long time, "Why?"
Xue Xiang said: "Because the success of this tax currency plan depends on whether the people trust it. If they don't trust it, it will not succeed. The hearing is a very good publicity for this plan, which will make it more likely to succeed."
Deng Wan asked excitedly: "But how can they let you pass?"
Xue Xiang smiled and said, "Minister Deng might as well ask them how to prevent this plan from being passed. The hearing system is relatively fair, and fairness will be in our favor."
Deng Wan frowned and said, "But if that's the case, then no matter what we do in the future, we will have to hold this hearing."
Xue Xiang said: "Of course not, this is what your majesty asked, not what Lord Fu insisted on doing."
Two days later, the Imperial Court also ushered in its most glorious moment.
Never before.
The huge open space in the venue was filled with people. Anyone who was qualified to enter the venue came, without exception, including Zhao Xu. However, he did not show up, but sat in the inner hall with Liu Zhao.
As for outside the imperial court, there were three floors inside and three floors outside, and even the second floor of the restaurant near the imperial court was full of people.
No previous lawsuit or hearing was as important as this hearing.
This concerns the vital interests of everyone, including the court and the emperor.
Although there are many people, it is very quiet.
After a while, five old men came to the rostrum hand in hand. They were the Chairman of the Legislative Council Fu Bi, the Minister of Justice Sima Guang, the Chief Censor Feng Jing, the Chief Justice Zhao Yan, and the Supreme Prosecutor Xu Zun.
Several top judicial directors were present. Originally, Xu Zun should not have sat on the top because the procuratorate was the one that submitted the bills. However, since this was after the reform,
At the same time, many judicial officials were sitting on both sides.
Wang Anshi and other senior officials in the court were watching from behind.
It was Feng Jing's first time sitting on the platform. Seeing so many people, his scalp felt tingling. He quietly took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his face.
Sima Guang smiled and said, "Don't be nervous."
Feng Jing whispered, "To be honest, I didn't expect to be nervous before, but sitting on the sidelines and watching are really different from sitting up here and hosting."
Sima Guang smiled and nodded, "All the same! All the same!"
Whether it is a hearing or a trial, the pressure you face is much greater than a court debate, because every word you say is in front of tens of millions of viewers.
The key is that the other party only asks the most sensitive questions.
Fortunately, they are the hosts today, not witnesses.
Suddenly, there was a sound of voice, and Zhang Fei and Xu Zhiqian, a familiar legal couple, came over.
Sima Guang couldn't help but glance at Xu Zun, "Chief Prosecutor Xu! Your family will be here soon!"
Xu Zun was very embarrassed and said, "I am sorry to have embarrassed you all. I have talked about this at home before, but... but you all know how eloquent my son-in-law is."
Fu Bi smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. They have often worked together before, and for such an important matter, it's only right that they choose the person they trust the most."
Xu Zun nodded quickly and said, "Thank you Mr. Fu for your understanding. Actually, I...I thought the same thing."
This was indeed the case, because the issues involved in this meeting were very sensitive, and Zhang Fei did not dare to trust anyone. He basically discussed it with Xu Zhiqian.
During the conversation, Zhang Fei and Xu Zhiqian had come to the front and bowed to Fu Bi and the others.
"No need to be so polite, please take a seat."
"yes."
After the couple sat down in the witness stand, a young official immediately stood up and loudly read out the reason and purpose of the hearing, and then Fu Bi announced the start of the hearing.
Fu Bi was the first to ask, "According to Chief Prosecutor Xu, the Grain and Liquor Tax Law that the Procuratorate recently submitted to the Legislative Council was drafted by Prosecutor Zhang himself."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Yes."
Fu Bi said, "Prosecutor Zhang submitted this bill because a series of tax lawsuits last time caused dissatisfaction among many people. You think that the grain tax is unfair, so you submitted this bill."
"Yes."
Zhang Fei nodded and explained, "Last year was the first time that the capital region adopted a completely new tax law, which is to merge two taxes into one tax, and the tax is calculated based on the total income of each household.
The purpose is to seek greater fairness, justice, convenience and speed, and to reduce the burden on the people. This includes abolishing extra costs such as loss and transfer. In general, it is still thinking about the people first. "
The people outside the courtyard nodded one after another.
They felt it most obviously. Collecting taxes last year was indeed much easier for them, so much so that they still had a little spare energy to deal with the drought.
Then Zhang Fei said: "But we found that some details were not handled well. Of course, this is normal because some problems can only be discovered during the execution process.
Among them, grain tax is the most important problem, because according to the design of the new tax law, only one agricultural tax is collected, but in the implementation process, it is inevitable to collect two taxes.
The problem is that when the tax commissioner calculated the total revenue, he first calculated the grain income based on the fields of the people's homes, and then took into account the additional income.
So when the people exchanged grain for money, logically, they should not have to pay taxes on the money, because the tax commissioner had already calculated it when the tax was calculated based on the mu. However, it was difficult for the tax commissioner to identify whether the money was earned from selling grain.
Obviously, calculating taxes by mu is more convenient, or even the only way, because farmers' income can only be calculated based on land. Therefore, we propose to exempt the commercial tax on major grains from tax."
Fu Bi nodded and said, "Hearing you say that, it seems to make some sense!"
Before he finished speaking, cheers were heard outside the courtyard.
"Well said!"
"good!"
At the beginning, Zhang Fei's words immediately won the support of the people, including some landlords.
The court police who were maintaining law and order immediately held up the wooden sign and adjusted their attitude in a quiet manner.
After a while, when the people outside the courtyard gradually quieted down,
Zhang Fei took the documents from Xu Zhiqian and said, "These are all related to the disputes caused by the tax lawsuit last year."
Wait until the evidence is presented.
Fu Bi suddenly glanced at Feng Jing.
Feng Jing came back to his senses. He had a mission, not to sit and watch the trial. He glanced at the documents on the table, calmed down, and asked, "Prosecutor Zhang, according to your bill, it targets those landlords or farmers who grow grain and sell grain at the same time.
But in the capital, many grain shops do not grow grain. They buy grain from farmers first and then sell it in the city. So do these grain merchants need to pay taxes? "
Zhang Fei said: "In reply to Feng Zhongcheng, we have also seriously considered this issue. To be fair, these grain merchants should be required to pay taxes.
But we have also taken into consideration that this is food, which is something that no one can live without. Making concessions on food can benefit all the people and at the same time promote the development of all walks of life.
Moreover, I have discussed this with the Three Officials and the Tax Commissioner. According to our statistics, we found that the tax money collected from grain merchants actually does not account for a high proportion of commercial taxes, while the money spent by the court on grain needs for the capital is enormous.
If doing so can encourage more grain merchants to sell grain to the market, even if it only saves the court one percent of grain each year, the court will still make a profit. "
Feng Jing, who was gradually getting into the state, immediately asked again: "So, your grain tax law only applies to the capital, and does not involve other regions."
Zhang Fei said: "This is a national tax law."
Feng Jing said: "But only the situation in the capital is applicable to what Prosecutor Zhang said."
Zhang Fei said: "Mr. Feng is wrong, because in most cases, the capital needs food from outside. Based on the equal transportation system, some food needs to be purchased. Reducing the grain tax will also reduce the cost of the court to purchase grain and encourage more grain merchants to sell grain to the capital.
For this purpose, we have made a calculation formula, taking all the main factors into consideration, and the result is that if the grain merchants are exempted from taxes, more grain will be available on the market, and the court will definitely benefit."
Xu Zhiqian immediately picked up a document and handed it to assistant Fu Bi.
The five old men didn't look at the previous evidence much, but after this piece of evidence was presented, except Xu Zun, the other four old men rushed to look at it.
Can this also be calculated?
Everyone is very curious.
Including Zhao Xu who was sitting in the inner hall, he was also looking forward to it, "Can this also be calculated?"
Liu Zhao shook his head blankly and said, "I don't know either."
Although he has read thousands of books and is well-versed in ancient and modern knowledge, this calculation formula is his blind spot in knowledge!
Lan Yuanzhen said, "Your Majesty, how about I go and get it for Your Majesty to see."
Zhao Xu hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Wait until they have all finished reading it, then give it to me."
Wang Anshi saw Fu Bi watching and muttering to himself, and he was curious, so he asked Xue Xiang, "Did you make this?"
Xue Xiang whispered, "We mainly provided the relevant accounts to Prosecutor Zhang. The calculation formula was mainly thought up by him."
After that, he sighed again, "I've heard that Prosecutor Zhang is also very talented in business. Now that I've met him, it's really better to meet him in person than to hear about him!"
Wang Anshi said calmly: "He only has these two advantages."
After a while, Fu Bi and the others looked at each other one by one, exchanged glances, and then shook their heads silently.
Maybe, this is professionalism.
Sima Guang suddenly asked, "Prosecutor Zhang just said that, in fairness, grain merchants should pay taxes. The reason why the procuratorate hopes to exempt grain merchants from taxes is that it will benefit the court, but there is a prerequisite, which is that grain merchants must be encouraged to sell more grain."
"Yes."
Zhang Fei nodded.
Sima Guang asked: "So, in your bill, you also mentioned warehouse tax, is it for this reason?"
Tax exemption does not necessarily mean that landlords will sell all their grain. The warehouse tax is the core content of the entire bill.
"One of them."
Zhang Fei replied: "This is just one of the reasons for the warehouse tax, but this reason alone is not enough for our procuratorate to increase the warehouse tax. After all, buying and selling is free."
You still know this!
The group of powerful people were so angry that they rolled their eyes.
Sima Guang asked, "I wonder if there is any other reason?"
Zhang Fei said: "It is to defend the interests of the monarch and the country."
Sima Guang asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Fei said: "In terms of land system, our dynasty is different from previous dynasties. The main reason is that our dynasty does not suppress annexation. As far as I know, there are still many controversies about this. Some ministers believe that land annexation should be suppressed. This is in the interests of the monarch and the country. I believe you are all very clear about the reasons, so I will not teach you how to do it here."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place fell silent and everyone pricked up their ears.
They did not expect that this small warehouse tax was actually related to land annexation, which was the most sensitive topic in the feudal dynasty.
Zhang Fei continued, "From history, we can learn that all those who wanted to suppress land annexation have failed. So I think that our dynasty's decision not to establish a land system is actually a very wise decision. Only by letting nature take its course can we legislate to regulate and prevent land annexation from bringing harm to the monarch and the country.
There are two main dangers of land annexation. First, land annexation will cause more people to lose their land and be forced to flee, which will endanger national stability.
Secondly, the landlords control a large amount of land, which means a monopoly on food, and people cannot live without food. Therefore, the landlords can use the monopoly on food to force the people to depend on them, thus forming a force that poses a huge threat to the monarch and the country.
Historically, many of the people who rebelled were actually landlords and gentry, because they had food in their hands.”
quiet!
After these words, the scene immediately fell into deathly silence.
Sweating profusely!
All the landlords present were sweating profusely, silently cursing Zhang Fei's ancestors for eighteen generations in their hearts.
You are trying to kill us!
Even Xue Xiang, who highly advocated hearings, and Wang Anshi, who opposed land annexation, were stunned at this moment.
They know that hearings require honesty and no empty talk, but you are being too honest.
What a tough guy!
Sima Guang stared at Zhang Fei blankly.
Can you say that?
Fu Bi saw Sima Guang was in a daze, so he asked: "So the warehouse tax can avoid this?"
“To say avoid might not be accurate.”
Zhang Fei replied: "I wrote it very clearly in the bill that the warehouse tax is actually a punitive tax. Everyone wants to make more money and live a better and richer life. This is actually understandable. This is also the reason why successive dynasties have been unable to curb land annexation.
After all, people go to high places and water flows to low places.
We exempted grain taxes in order to encourage large landowners to sell grain, because it is common sense that landlords buy and sell land and grow grain on a large scale in the hope of selling it and making more money.
But if they hoard grain and do not sell it, it will become a potential threat to the monarch and the country, which is the fundamental reason why successive dynasties have prevented land annexation.
If a landlord, faced with widespread market demand for grain, still hoards 100,000 shi of grain, preferring to store it at a high price and letting the grain be eaten by insects or rot due to moisture rather than earning money, then it is difficult to give any other reason except rebellion. "
In the entire venue, apart from Zhang Fei's voice, the only sound was the heavy breathing.
This is not a hearing at all, it's simply a murder meeting!
Those landlords and dignitaries who had stored large amounts of grain at home were almost fainting, because they knew the emperor was here!
Isn’t this a trap?
Are you going to catch us all in one fell swoop?
The opening was so climaxing that it was hard for them to bear for a while!
Even Wen Yanbo was completely dumbfounded. Like Sima Guang, he was also wondering, can these words really be said?
And it happened in public, in full view of everyone.
But the madness continues.
"Buying and selling land is a normal behavior and is difficult to prohibit, but hoarding food is an abnormal behavior. It is difficult to guarantee that there are no other purposes behind it. Moreover, this is an extremely irresponsible behavior. This is what the court needs to guard against. Therefore, the court should also take very severe punishment measures for this behavior.
In fact, the warehouse tax I submitted is relatively conservative. If it is up to me, it should be set at 70%, which is more punitive. "
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
