It was spring at this time, but the imperial court was filled with a solemn atmosphere.
The original plan was to charge 70%?
Thank you so much!
Many powerful people stared at Zhang Fei viciously.
Boy, I advise you to be kind.
Some timid officials, on the other hand, felt very uncomfortable and remained silent.
We are just storing some food, and you are accusing us of rebellion.
You want us to die!
Han Qi chuckled and said, "It's not without reason that this brat has survived to this day!"
His eldest son Han Zhongyan asked, "Why did you say that, father?"
...
...
Han Qi smiled and said, "There have always been people in the court who have suggested curbing annexation, but none of them have succeeded. Even Wang Jiefu tried to curb it in other ways, but he didn't dare to say it openly.
This guy is obviously more calculating than Wang Jiefu. Judging from what he said, he encourages land annexation and allows those landlords to make the money they deserve, but reduces their influence on the country, rather than simply demanding the suppression of annexation. "
Han Zhongyan suddenly realized.
yes!
If his bill is followed, land annexation will be completely liberalized, but...
"So is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Han Zhongyan was a little confused.
Han Qi stroked his beard and said, "It's hard to say. On the one hand, he allowed land annexation, and on the other hand, he reduced grain commercial taxes. He probably hoped that the people who lost their land would be able to join the industry and commerce. If there is enough food supply in the market, they can buy food anytime and anywhere, which is indeed conducive to the development of industry and commerce.
But whether those people can be resettled or not, we have to wait and see."
"Prince Wang, can you tell me this?"
Xue Xiang wiped his sweat and said.
This is undoubtedly the most sensitive topic at the moment.
Wang Anshi laughed and said, "I've told you long ago that if you get involved with this guy, he will scare you half to death. Just get used to it! However."
At this point, he narrowed his eyes slightly, "But he should be here with the intention of winning."
Xue Xiang nodded slightly, he could see that.
Things have escalated to this point. If you cannot effectively refute his point of view and at the same time refuse to pass this bill, then you must first consider how to deal with the emperor.
Suddenly, a judicial official nearby said indignantly: "It's just that there is a little more food stored in the warehouse, it can't be called a rebellion, right?"
After all, this is a hearing of the Legislative Council, and the Legislative Council is a temporary meeting where the hierarchical relationship is not so obvious, and judicial officials can express their opinions directly.
Zhang Fei replied: "I did not say that hoarding food means rebellion. I just think that this behavior is a potential threat to the monarch and the country, and is not beneficial to the country and the monarch.
The law of the law is first to defend the interests of the country and the monarch, but also to defend the legitimate rights and interests of individuals. Therefore, in this bill, it does not say that they can only have 500 dan of grain. They can have a lot of grain. As long as they sell the grain, they can avoid this punitive tax. "
"What if it can't be sold?" the judicial officer asked immediately.
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Then lower the price."
“Okay, okay!”
"Well said, sell it at a lower price."
The people outside were very excited after hearing this.
However, the dignitaries sitting in the courtyard all had gloomy faces.
I wanted to yell at those people: Get the hell out of here.
Why?
"quiet!"
Fu Bi slammed the gavel.
The court police immediately became busy. Today, more than 500 royal police were mobilized to maintain order here.
After silence, the judicial official said, "Don't you know that low grain prices hurt farmers? It costs money for landlords to grow crops. If you force them to lower the price, who will grow crops in the future?"
Zhang Fei replied: "First, the impact on ordinary farmers is minimal, because you must have more than 500 dan of grain before the beginning of autumn. I think many people are eager to pay this punitive tax."
"That's right, I want to surrender!"
"I want to pay, too."
The people started to make a commotion, causing hundreds of court guards to jump up and down before they could quiet down the court.
Zhang Fei immediately added: "If those people who were shouting just now really had more than 500 dan of grain, they probably wouldn't be willing to pay it."
"Ha ha!"
Another burst of laughter.
Fu Bi glared at Zhang Fei secretly.
Kid, stop it.
Zhang Fei coughed and said seriously: "The ones who are really affected are the big landlords and grain merchants. Of course, we will also take their rights and interests into consideration.
First of all, after the grain commercial tax is exempted, the price of grain will be very conducive to trade, and it is actually unlikely that the situation where low grain prices will hurt farmers will occur.
Secondly, there is the Changping Warehouse, no, now it should be the Food Agency, they will regulate the food prices. "
That super business agency actually combined the equalization method of transport and the constant level warehouse.
Sima Guang immediately said, "This is unfair. One side must sell the grain, and the grain agency can use this to lower the price. What do you want the landlords to do?"
Many dignitaries present nodded their heads, saying that you must have colluded with Wang Anshi.
The main purpose of establishing this super agency is to control food. Now that the food agency has just been established there, you have enacted this kind of bill.
There is no doubt that WFP will be the biggest beneficiary.
Zhang Fei said: "First of all, the purpose of the Food Agency is to prevent low grain prices from hurting farmers, mobilize everyone's enthusiasm for growing grain, and maintain national stability. I certainly believe that the Food Agency will make reasonable distribution. If the Food Agency wants to lower the price, it is a violation of regulations, and our procuratorate will of course intervene in the investigation.
Regarding this issue, I have also talked with Mr. Wang and others, and they will come up with very detailed regulations.
Secondly, there is a liquor tax bill behind this, which can promote grain trade by adjusting the liquor tax."
Sima Guang frowned and was about to speak, but Zhang Fei did not give him the chance and said, "There is no perfect law in this world. If Sima Guang wants to ask what to do in extreme cases, then my advice is that you either continue to sell at a lower price or pay a punitive tax, because that is the rule.
This is a bill. It is not a charity plan. It is not to ensure that any party will be able to make more money from it. It is just relatively speaking. Its purpose is to ensure the interests of the monarch, the country, and the people.
Yes, low grain prices hurt farmers, and perhaps at certain times, the people will have less money to exchange for a foot of cloth, but at the same time it can ensure that the people will not sell their wives and children because of the high grain prices.
Maybe those big landlords will be asked to hand over 50% of the grain in their warehouses, but they will still live a very comfortable life. If those big landlords are still dissatisfied and feel that they are not making money, they can just sell the land. It is that simple. "
These words, with all their might, left Sima Guang dumbfounded.
hard!
This is so hard!
"happy!"
Wang Anshi couldn't help but groan, "What a relief! It seems that I was too kind to that old man Sima before!"
In Wang Anshi's view, these words were a very satisfying rebuttal.
He felt deeply touched by this, because in his personal opinion, Sima Guang always liked to find the most extreme situations to refute him, but he did not have the courage to say so. He just wanted to make this money.
Of course, this is just his personal feeling.
Zhang Fei dared to say this because he first gave a great degree of freedom to land mergers, granted commercial tax exemptions, and also had supporting measures such as liquor tax and food tax. He had the confidence to say this.
Wang Anshi often imposed great restrictions first and then asked for more.
Seeing Sima Guang was confused for a moment, Zhao Yan immediately took over the topic and asked, "Prosecutor Zhang just said that this bill is aimed at the harm caused by land annexation, and secondly, it refers to the threat to the country and the people caused by the landlords' monopoly of grain.
But there is another point that Prosecutor Zhang did not give a clear answer just now, which is that land annexation has caused the people to lose their land, which has affected the stability of the country.
This judge is somewhat puzzled. Most people have lost their livelihoods, so how can they afford to buy food? Even if the big landlords are willing to sell food at a low price, it is not certain that the people can afford it. "
This question made the powerful landlords present feel like they didn't know whether to nod or not.
After all, it was they who forced the people to leave their land.
What should I do about this?
They didn't expect that this hearing would turn out to be a nightmare.
Just a moment after Zhao Yan opened his mouth, Xu Zhiqian was already flipping through the documents. When Zhao Yan finished speaking, Xu Zhiqian had already placed a copy of the document in front of Zhang Fei.
This made the officials present feel very frustrated. It seemed like you had already guessed that we would ask this question.
Zhang Fei looked down at the copy and said, "Perhaps everyone has misunderstood this punitive tax. This tax does not mean that the other party's property will be confiscated, but a 10% or 50% fine will be imposed on the surplus in their warehouse. They will just earn less money, and their lives will not be affected at all.
Based on this, I will answer the question raised by the Grand Court President.
What I want to answer is that it will definitely help, because maintaining stability is the responsibility of the court and the government, and the court and the government are also direct victims.
Therefore, whether it is peacetime or unrest, the court will definitely maintain it. But maintaining stability requires money. Based on all this, this punitive tax is very fair and just. This money is also used to alleviate the chaos caused by the land transactions of this small group of people. "
Zhao Xu in the inner hall nodded repeatedly and said, "Well said! That's how it should be."
It was you who caused the trouble, so the court must clean up the mess. It is only natural that the court should collect some punitive taxes from you.
Zhang Fei continued: "As for
First of all, the imperial court can only provide temporary relief, and the people still have to find work to do on their own, and they will definitely find a way to make a living. Of course, I hope that the imperial court can come up with more good policies of work-for-relief to help the people restore their livelihoods.
However, it is very difficult for people to find a livelihood in towns and cities. At the beginning, the money they earn may not be much. But because of the punitive tariffs, it will force the landlords to lower the price of grain to match the purchasing power of ordinary people, which will offset the instability caused to the country by some land annexation.
It won’t happen that there are piles of grain in grain shops that can’t be sold, and hardworking people will starve to death on the roadside. Moreover, once there is an abundance of grain in the market and the price is moderate, it can also help industry and commerce recruit more people. When people earn more, the price of grain will slowly rise. ”
Zhao Yan nodded slightly, seeming to be satisfied with this answer.
When both parties are under pressure, self-matching will naturally occur.
The current situation is that the landlords have no pressure at all and just hoard goods, forcing the people to risk their lives to buy them.
Fu Bi flipped through the documents, looked up and asked, "In your bill, it is written that temple workshops such as Xiangguo Temple and grain shops will be given certain exemptions based on special circumstances."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Yes, take Xiangguo Temple as an example. Since Xiangguo Temple has to support many people, 500 dan of grain is obviously not enough. Therefore, I will increase the amount of tax collection based on their situation, but it is still under evaluation. Since this is a special case, we plan to pass the bill first and then make adjustments.
As for grain shops, their situations are rather special, and we will grant corresponding exemptions based on their specific circumstances. For example, if a grain shop has been selling grain to the people in a stable manner, has not engaged in any price manipulation, and has not helped people evade punitive taxes, then we will exempt their stored grain.
However, according to our investigation, this situation is extremely rare. If there is no malicious speculation on the price of grain, the grain can generally be sold and there will be no situation of unsalable grain.
For example, if they encounter some special circumstances, they may buy food from other places and it arrives in early autumn, which of course also needs to be exempted.
But these exemptions must be subject to rigorous investigation.”
Sima Guang came back to his senses and heard this, and he spoke again: "Your design is too complicated, can it be executed well?"
Fu Bi also nodded, expressing his doubt.
Increasing the tax amount while granting exemptions, this complex design will create too many loopholes, which may end up competing with the people for profits or shifting the burden to the people.
Zhang Fei said: "I have consulted the tax collector on this issue, and his answer to me was to increase the fine a little bit, and the rest would not be a problem."
Sima Guang asked, "Really?"
Zhang Fei nodded. "That's what the tax collector said. I have no reason not to believe them."
After hearing this, Sima Guang said to Fu Bi, "Mr. Fu, we must summon the tax collector to ask about this clearly."
Fu Bi nodded and said, "Send it to the tax collector."
After a while, Mr. Xing came to the court. He was the same as all the other tax collectors, with an emotionless face. His seriousness was coupled with a little arrogance, which made people dislike him from the bottom of their hearts.
Sima Guang asked, "Tax Commissioner, did Prosecutor Zhang ask you for advice on the warehouse tax?"
Engineer Xing nodded and said, "Yes."
Sima Guang asked again: "How did you answer him?"
Mr. Xing said, "I want the fine to be increased a little."
Sima Guang asked: "Why?"
Xing Gong said: "Because according to Prosecutor Zhang, this is an additional penalty tax, not a regular tax. This will increase the burden on our tax department and require additional personnel to investigate. Our tax department mainly relies on fines to maintain its operations.
Furthermore, tax evasion of this nature must be deliberate and the penalties should be increased.”
Very direct.
If you ask me to work overtime but don't increase my salary, who would be willing to do it?
If any other official said this, he would be scolded for being too snobbish, but everyone is used to the words of the Tax Commissioner.
The key is that the Tax Commissioner generates too much revenue for the court without increasing the court's burden.
Sima Guang was too lazy to argue with Xing Gong about this issue. Who was it that allowed you to evade taxes and get caught? Who can you blame? A fine is good enough. He asked, "So the tax collector doesn't think it's difficult to investigate the warehouse tax?"
Mr. Xing nodded and said, "Our tax commissioner doesn't think this is difficult."
After thinking about it, Sima Guang asked, "Suppose a wealthy family has 1,000 dan of grain and puts 500 dan of grain in someone else's grain store or at a relative's house. How would your tax department investigate this?"
Xing Gong said: "Originally, the methods of our tax department are relatively confidential, but the situation described by Sima Shangshu is the most common, so I don't mind telling it here."
The most common one? Sima Guang asked with a smile: "I would like to hear more about it."
Mr. Xing said, "The most important point is that our tax department will have a three-year prosecution period. If we suspect that there is something wrong with this grain, even if we don't have evidence for the time being, it doesn't matter. We have plenty of time to investigate."
Many dignitaries present were suddenly in pain.
Three years of statute of limitations, this... this is really outrageous!
Mr. Xing still said expressionlessly: "According to our experience as the tax commissioner, no matter whether they are divided into two or three branches, the money or grain will eventually flow into his warehouse. As long as the money and grain flow, there will inevitably be loopholes.
If we learn that the other party is using the food for free, for example, he tells us that the food has been sold to a neighbor, but as long as he takes a bucket of it to cook and we find out, he must give us a legitimate reason. "
Sima Guang asked: "So you will always send people to keep an eye on him?"
Mr. Xing did not answer directly, but said: "Now there is a saying circulating in Hezhong Prefecture. If you want to successfully evade taxes, the prerequisite is not to arouse suspicion from the tax commissioner."
Arrogant!
Very arrogant!
What this means is that once you are targeted, you can't escape.
But the powerful and influential people were very disdainful of this statement.
You guys are so powerful, I just don’t believe it.
Mr. Xing added, “And our tax department also has a saying: if we can’t find concrete evidence, we should let the other party surrender voluntarily.”
Sima Guang frowned and asked curiously, "What does this mean?"
The others also looked at Mr. Xing in surprise. Do you know magic?
Xing Gong said: "Two years ago, there was a case in Jingzhao Prefecture. There was a very clever wealthy family in the area. He used a clever method to evade a thousand strings of tax under the nose of the tax commissioner.
Our tax department knew about it, but we had never found any concrete evidence. However, half a year later, this wealthy man took the initiative to surrender himself to the tax department and paid the back taxes and fines. "
Sima Guang couldn't help but ask curiously: "Why is this?"
"Because a thief is always guilty."
Xing Gong said: "According to what the rich man's wife said, during that half year, he always thought that someone was secretly watching him. He didn't dare to trust his concubine, his family elder, or even his son. He was in a state of suspicion every day. His wife and children thought that if this continued, he would go crazy within three years.
After he turned himself in, he told his wife and children that this was the happiest day of his life.”
Sima Guang's mouth twitched a few times, "Really?"
Xu Zhiqian also whispered to Zhang Fei: "Is this all true?"
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "The tax police in Hezhong Prefecture are almost unable to make ends meet. Recently, they have been clamoring to go to the Southeast Sixth Road to find new ways to make money."
Xu Zhiqian was immediately speechless.
Xing Gong said seriously, "These are all facts, and this situation will soon occur in the capital, and you will be able to witness it with your own eyes. I would also like to advise you not to think that everything will be fine after the tax collection period. Our tax department has a three-year prosecution period. During this period, we will keep an eye on you until the tax is recovered. Even if you go crazy, I will not let go of any tax."
With great force.
You have to know that all the people sitting here are high-ranking officials and dignitaries.
How arrogant this is.
When the officials present heard this, their hair stood on end, their backs felt cold, and they trembled all over.
Censors like Jiang Zhiqi were even more ashamed.
This is dad.
In comparison, our censor is as gentle as a sheep.
Fu Bi couldn't stand it any longer and asked, "You are just collecting taxes, are you driving people crazy?"
Xing Gong said: "It's not us who drive them crazy, but they drive themselves crazy. Honest gentlemen will not be affected at all even if they know we are watching them from a distance, because they have a clear conscience. Only those who are guilty will be in a state of panic all day long, and we will also take measures to make them even more panicked."
Kill you while you are sick.
Everyone in Fu Bi was dumbfounded.
Mr. Xing said it very clearly. If you don’t pay taxes, we will really drive you crazy.
pity?
I sympathize with your sister!
Liu Zhao in the inner hall secretly glanced at Zhao Xu next to him. Why was the Commissioner of Taxation so arrogant? It was because the only one who could control the Commissioner of Taxation was the emperor.
But at this time the emperor's face was full of pride and he didn't feel ashamed at all.
So domineering, love it, love it.
Xu Zhiqian whispered, "It seems like all of these tax collectors are very arrogant, and their words are harsh and cruel, and they are not kind to people."
Zhang Fei covered his mouth and whispered, "I asked the government to select this kind of people."
Xu Zhiqian asked: "Why?"
Zhang Fei said: "Because the nature of the tax commissioner is to be annoying and to have enemies everywhere. If that's the case, it's better to be a little ruthless and arrogant to intimidate everyone. This costs money. Can you get money by speaking softly?"
Xu Zhiqian thought about it and it made sense. Everyone would hate the Commissioner of Taxation. So the Commissioner of Taxation didn't need to care about any human relationships. He just wanted money, nothing else.
Sima Guang asked: "Isn't it illegal for you to do this?"
Mr. Xing said, "We, the tax department, must collect taxes according to the law. If we break the law, we will be arrested and lose our bonuses. Therefore, we, the tax police, abide by the law more than anyone else. If the other party is dissatisfied, they can sue us at any time."
Fu Bi and Sima Fa both felt that there was no need to ask further.
They had no doubt about the truthfulness of Mr. Xing's words, because they could understand that kind of pain just by imagining it.
This is really terrible.
The net of heaven is vast and long, and nothing can escape it.
Let's take a step back and say that even if you think about this all the time and take perfect precautions, after three years, if you don't go crazy, your mental quality must be extremely strong.
Then you deserve success!
But I guess many people won’t be able to sleep tonight.
really.
If Mr. Xing hadn't mentioned it today, they would have really forgotten that the tax bureau's prosecution period is three years, and it doesn't just end after the taxes are collected.
Of course, there is no need to worry about whether the tax commissioner can receive the tax.
After all, the public security, procuratorate, courts and the tax bureau gave Zhang Fei the confidence to design this relatively complex tax law.
After Xing Gong went down, Zhang Fei added: "Didn't I mention before that the original design of this punitive tax was 70%? After talking with the tax commissioner, I plan to put the 20% on the fine.
At the same time, the corresponding criminal penalties will be increased according to the amount of deliberate tax evasion, because such behavior must be intentional. If a person deliberately hides tens of thousands of stones or hundreds of thousands of stones of grain, the potential threat to the monarch and the country is too great.
Therefore, criminal punishment must be imposed as a deterrent. You may not have the intention to commit treason, but your behavior may cover up those who are planning to commit treason. "
Those powerful people almost vomited blood.
Boy, I advise you to be kind!
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