Any vendor who wanted to enter the market to sell goods had to throw three coins into one of the backpacks when passing by, and then take a sign from another backpack, which looked like a receipt for paying taxes.
Next to the basket, a wooden board detailed the tax bill: "One cent for market management, one cent for cleaning and epidemic prevention, and one cent for supporting Xiangyun's reconstruction."
"You are such a fool, a tax collector! You're dozing off in broad daylight! What if someone sneaks in?"
After meeting the meticulous treasurer, Bai Ang was obviously dissatisfied with the tax collector.
The middle-aged, one-legged tax collector slowly opened his eyes and said, "You look unfamiliar. Are you here to do business or just to browse and buy something?"
"Oh? How about doing business? How about just strolling around?"
"If you're a small business, you can enter after paying three cents, but you can only set up one stall. If each of you wants to set up a stall, you can set up as many stalls as you want, and you need to pay as many taxes as you want. If you want to ship a large quantity, you need to register with the Commerce Department and go to the trading market in the west of the city. That's for large merchants. If you just want to browse, you can enter, but you must abide by the rules."
The tax collector rubbed his eyes, looked at Bai Ang and his group carefully, and answered.
"Even if I only pay three cents, we can split into several stalls after we go in. Do you think you, a tax collector who sleeps on duty, can follow us?" Bai Ang looked at the tax collector's one leg and teased.
"In Qinghe, no one would save a few cents. But since you look unfamiliar, let me explain first. There is a management office in the market. If you are reported for tax evasion, or if you are caught by the management office, you will be in big trouble. You don't look like a small businessman, so I suggest you don't lose the big picture for the sake of small gains. If you don't believe me, look at him..."
The tax collector pointed to the side and saw a skinny man dragging a cart of manure out of the small gate of the fence with great effort. Judging from the fact that his whole body was soaked with manure, he had been doing this job for a long time.
"What are you looking at? Your Qinghe manure cart? Is there any difference between the Qinghe manure carts and those from other places?" Lord Bai, who had been pampered for many years, saw a manure cart of such a scale for the first time. It caused a huge shock to his nerves, and naturally he was not in a good mood when he spoke angrily.
"This person entered the market several times, smuggling in items he wanted to sell, attempting to evade taxes this way. He was reported by the owner of the stall next door. Upon investigation, it was determined that he had evaded a total of ten cents in taxes. He should have been severely punished, but Qinghe Bo said that cultivating tax awareness and education are the main priorities. Therefore, the management office sentenced him to clean up feces in the market for ten days as a warning to others."
The tax collector added, "There are five public toilets in this market. The daily manure output isn't huge, but if you add in the livestock trading area at the innermost part of the market, it's more than a single manure cart can carry. And it has to be taken to a designated composting area to count. You're old, and you look wealthy. You must not end up like this."
"Hmph, I only buy and never sell. You can never do anything to me." After saying that, Bai Ang waved his sleeves and led his men into the market.
"Hehe, little brat, you still dare to look at our Xiao Linzi in the face. We, his brothers, can't help him in any other way. It's enough to disgust him with you." After saying that, the tax collector lay down on the chair again, listened to the sound of copper coins falling into the backpack, and slowly closed his eyes.
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