Chapter 513: Chapter 250: Balanced Revenue and Expenditure_3
That totals up to nineteen million seven hundred thousand silver tales.
As for revenue, it’s fifteen million silver tales a year. In addition, from the Su Country and Southsea Country, there are also annual aids of five million silver tales and four million stone grains, totaling up to twenty million silver tales.
With an annual balance of around three hundred thousand silver tales, am I right?”
Lu Yuan looked at Sun Siwen.
“For this year, that’s indeed the case.” Sun Siwen nodded, then continued: “However, the king has decreed that the people who have migrated from Hanzhong and Xichuan to our country will not be taxed for the first three years.
So this year’s 15 million silver tales of tax revenue does not include the field tax, head tax, and property tax of those two million three hundred thousand immigrants.
Right now, one year has passed, and half a year of this year as well. After waiting another year and a half, which is during Shenwu’s third year, taxes can be collected from these immigrants.
By then, with an additional two million three hundred thousand taxpayers, the country’s field tax, head tax, and property tax can roughly increase by two million seven hundred thousand silver tales of tax revenue.
As these immigrants settle down in the region, they will also purchase goods and attract merchants and travelers.
By that time, the country’s customs and commercial taxes will be higher than this year, probably increasing by another one million eight hundred thousand silver tales or so.
Various miscellaneous tax revenues can also increase by five hundred thousand silver tales.
That adds up to about five million silver tales of additional tax revenue.
Therefore, two years later, by Shenwu’s third year, the annual tax silver of the Great Chu Country should be able to reach a substantial twenty million silver tales, enough to support our nation’s military forces and the expenses of the imperial court.
By then, the five million silver tales of aid from Su Country and Southsea Country can be saved and used for other purposes.”
Sun Siwen had obviously considered this aspect of the problem, and his answer was well-organized at this time.
Fortunately, after Lu Yuan’s previous buffering, hearing the number of twenty million silver tales at this time did not surprise him as much as before.
It makes sense.
Now, among the Chu State’s registered households, there are 5.7 million people. Excluding the elderly, women, and children, there should be about two million adult men.
As far as Lu Yuan can remember, when he was in Luling Mansion, the lowest-ranking laborer in the county town could earn one silver tale a month.
Even this is the income of the lowest stratum of society with a registered household.
Other normal farmers and city dwellers with other skills have even higher incomes, reaching two or even three silver tales per month.
Thus, considering only adult men, the total income of the people of the Great Chu Kingdom, taking a median value of 1.5 silver tales, totals 30 million a year.
However, in reality, the total income of a typical family can’t solely rely on one man.
Even women can help with farm work in rural areas, plant mulberry trees, weave cloth, and have additional income.
If in the city, it’s even easier to find ways to earn money.
Helping with laundry, cleaning, working as servants in rich households, or doing small businesses for their own families, there are simply many ways.
All these tasks can be done by women, as well as the elderly and children, who can also generate income.
So, when the total income is calculated, the 5.7 million people of the Great Chu can, at the lower-class level, have an annual income of around fifty million silver tales.
However, this is still just the lower-class people.
Taxes can only be collected from them in the form of field tax, head tax, and property tax, and at most a bit of commercial tax.
There are also aristocratic families, local tyrants, wealthy businessmen and landlords, and official dignitaries who possess wealth that may not be less than these lower-class people.
Moreover, in these troubled times of war and chaos, various countries have been using their troops yearly, and their demands for money and grain are no small matter.
Even if you are a dignitary or a gentleman, you would be treated equally when it comes to taxation.
No one will collect less money from you just because you are a scholar, an official, or a noble.
Of course, tax evasion, mutual concealment of property, and the like are unavoidable.
However, even considering these factors, the current annual income reported in the Great Chu Country for these aristocratic families, local tyrants, wealthy businessmen and landlords, and official dignitaries should also be between 50 million and 70 million silver tales.
The specific size fluctuations depend on whether the local government has enforced tax laws in place.
But even so, considering all the people and dignitaries in the Great Chu, their lowest annual income would still be around 100 million silver tales.
From an income of 100 million silver tales, only 20 million silver tales in taxes are collected, which is only one-fifth of the total.
Relative to other countries, the tax burden in Great Chu is already quite light.
Among the neighboring countries, the only one that can be compared to Chu is the less troublesome Southsea Country.
To the east, Ning Country is said to have raised its tax burden to a quarter of the total in order to cope with the continuous battles.
In the western countries of Hanzhong and Xichuan, the tax burden has been raised to a quarter as well, in order to maintain their troops and resist the threat from Zhou Country.
And in the south, Su Country is under Su Xuange’s impoverished soldiers and fierce warriors policy, with a tax rate even more insane at one-third. People can hardly survive, and a large number of people have fled the area.
Compared to the group of neighbors around them, Lu Yuan’s one-fifth tax rate betrays his kind and benevolent policies.
The local people, who were so easily won over, also had a lot to do with his leniency.
However, one thing to note is that these tax rates are only for taxes on the surface.
Just as when Lu Yuan was a hunter and wanted to enter the city, he would be charged many extra fees for entering the city.
At the local level, although the fees set by the imperial court are the same, how local corrupt officials and scribes enforce them is a different matter.
Chu Country is a bit better in that regard since it’s a new dynasty that has been established, and everything is starting anew, with no entanglement of interests and comparatively clear politics.
Even if the people below want to make money under the guise of various names, they dare not go too far.
But Southsea and Ninghai, Xichuan, and Hanzhong, as well as Ning Country, which has inherited all the disadvantages of Pre-Yue, are different from Lu Yuan because they have a large network of interests in their countries.
Let these people collect taxes.
Do you believe that a tax rate of a quarter can be directly increased to one-third?
One-third directly increased to one-half?
Don’t be surprised; this is very normal.
You should know that in Chu Country, over the course of just one year, according to the reports Lu Yuan has received, more than 5,000 Su Country refugees have been accommodated at the border.
According to these people, the exorbitant taxes, miscellaneous taxes, and levies imposed by local officials added up to a tax rate of a half in their area.
If they hadn’t been driven to despair, who would be willing to abandon their homes and property and flee to another country?
‘It’s true that prosperity brings suffering to the people. So does decline.’
Thinking of all this, Lu Yuan sighed with emotion and then rejoiced.
That’s because if, as Sun Siwen said, in two years the Chu Country’s income can reach twenty million silver tales, then the country can truly be self-sufficient and not rely on outside help.
By then.
Even if Southsea and Ninghai Countries fall out with us, there will be no need to worry about military expenses.
Even now, the five million silver tales of aid from these two countries each year can be used for other purposes.
For example, Lu Yuan has recently been worried about where to find the money to build a navy.
At this moment, a solution had emerged.