Chapter 67 The only answer Xia Yuanji can give is to use silver In the side hall, the atmosphere was extremely solemn.
Everyone was sweating for Shen Liqian.
Because all the ministers in the cabinet know that taxes in the Susong area are originally heavier than anywhere else.
The people of Songjiang have complaints to some extent, and the tax system is so chaotic. While everyone pays taxes, the messy miscellaneous taxes are an expense that cannot be underestimated.
Maybe the officials there feel the resentment of the people to some extent.
So when I talked about how to pay taxes, I thought, if we could package all the reasonable and unreasonable taxes, and then open the door to the people and tell them how much they have to pay, so that the people would have an idea in their minds. All we have to do is pay.
Of course, it would be better if the tax could be paid in silver. After all, silver is more valuable and you can pay less.
If it is to use treasure money, it is not impossible, it depends on whether the court is willing to accept it.
Everyone is eager to link the waste paper in their hands to the tax quota and then hand it over to the court.
Anyway, if the treasure banknotes depreciate by then, the court will give us a guarantee first.
So Shen Liqian got excited and said that he could convert it into silver to pay.
I originally thought that if I offended His Majesty the Emperor, I would definitely be punished.
Unexpectedly, His Majesty the Emperor did not get angry, but instead asked if silver would be the best.
Shen Liqian had no choice but to bite the bullet and reply: "Your Majesty, silver is indeed more stable and valuable than banknotes, and people are more willing to use it."
It should be said that he is a good official who makes decisions for the people. Seeing the devaluation of treasure banknotes so much, he also feels sorry for the ordinary people who have worked hard for most of their lives in exchange for a few treasure banknotes. They are really just sitting at home. Trouble comes from heaven.
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard Shen Liqian's words, he was delighted.
Fortunately, these officials under him saw the harm caused to the people by the chaotic tax system, and thought that if they were converted into silver and collected, at least there would be less trouble along the way, and everyone would save trouble.
The people are happy to pay, and it is easy for the government to manage.
Another one, he found that the people and the government below were willing to implement reforms.
As the emperor, he quickly understood that at the beginning of the founding of the country, there were not so many interest groups, so it was easier to change them.
Of course, he knew very well that his vigorous and resolute actions were very intimidating.
As long as he is determined to reform the officials and gentry below, even if he is not satisfied, no one with such a thick neck dares to test whether his sword is sharp.
Relatively speaking, it is easier to carry out reforms on your own.
The further it is delayed and the number of interest groups increases, the greater the resistance the reform will encounter.
Whether it's a whipping method or a small family divided into acres, it's a good thing for the people, and it's also a good thing for the central court, so it needs to be changed, but the main premise is how to solve the currency problem.
Zhu Yuanzhang had always admired Xia Yuanji, so he asked: "Xia Aiqing, what do you think of this?"
When Xia Yuanji was the head of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he had read many local officials' memos submitted to the Ministry of Household Affairs and asked whether some unnecessary miscellaneous taxes could be consolidated into one.
The problems that Shen Liqian encountered have also been encountered by officials who specifically manage local taxation in various parts of the world.
Anyone who is not obsessed with taking bribes and bending the law will find this a very difficult problem.
It was a troublesome task for the people below to escort the physical objects to Beijing, and the officials passing by were also afraid that something might happen.
Therefore, this chaotic tax system brings double harm to the people and everyone has their own sufferings that they cannot tell.
Because of Zhu Yuanzhang's bloody suppression of corruption and the empty seal case, officials all over the world were trembling with fear. Who dared to make a mistake in this matter?
Back then, even such normal things as blank documents being stamped or local officials coming to the capital with official seals to write off the taxes paid, were all caused by His Majesty the Emperor's suspicion that this was corruption, and many people were killed.
Therefore, officials are very afraid that the taxes paid within their jurisdiction will not be enough.
But everyone knows that as long as taxes are collected in kind, some losses will inevitably occur on the road.
But His Majesty the Emperor does not seem to agree with this statement.
He just hopes that if you collect one stone of millet from the local government, it will be sent to my big warehouse at the Ministry of Revenue. If you miss a little, that means you are corrupt.
To sum up, in fact, officials all over the world hope that instead of transporting physical taxes directly to the court, they can be converted into money and handed over directly to the Ministry of Household Affairs, so that everyone can avoid trouble.
After Xia Yuanji was named, he stood up and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the chaos in the tax system has indeed brought a lot of inconvenience to the local government..."
Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted directly, "I understand. What I'm asking you is, can silver replace treasure banknotes and really solve the current predicament of the people?"
After being silent for a long time, Xia Yuanji summoned up the courage to say, "Your Majesty, based on the current recognition of silver among the people, I think... I think it's okay to give it a try."
He didn't say so much, he just said that he could give it a try.
When Zhu Yuanzhang thought of Chen Han's theory of silver poisoning, he felt uncomfortable in his heart.
So is Zhu Biao.
If Chen Han hadn't put forward this argument, they might really think that silver is a good thing.
But now their thinking has changed.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked again, "Does Xia Aiqing know how much silver tax was imposed in the Ming Dynasty in a year?"
Xia Yuanji immediately returned: "In the 22nd year of Hongwu, the tax on silver was twenty-three thousand, four hundred and twenty-four taels."
After Zhu Yuanzhang heard Xia Yuanji's figures so accurately, he sighed. The entire Ming Dynasty's annual silver tax deduction was only a mere 2 taels. How could this afford the standard currency.
Zhu Yuanzhang asked again: "With such a small amount of silver tax, how can we bear all the taxes in the world? Xia Aiqing, have you ever considered this issue?"
Xia Yuanji's face was also heavy. It was a fact that the Central Plains had produced very little silver since ancient times.
But since the Tang Dynasty, silver has been recognized by the people. After hundreds of years of development, everyone generally believes that silver is the best currency, which is irreversible.
So Xia Yuanji said again: "The Ming Dynasty can trade with overseas countries and obtain silver. Our Ming Dynasty is rich in products and will surely attract many overseas countries to trade. In the process of trade, we can exchange for silver."
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, he thought: It is indeed so, it is indeed so.
Xia Yuanji's words once again confirmed what Chen Han said.
Because the Ming Dynasty banknotes lost the trust of the people, the people spontaneously chose silver, which is more valuable, but where is the source of the silver? It can only be imported through overseas countries.
If you really do this, you will be poisoned by silver, as Chen Han said, and you will be out of control...
Please read!
(End of this chapter)