Chapter 518: Tax Reform 3
TL: Rui88
“Oh! I still need to prepare some materials.” Bernard took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. “You go ahead to the meeting room on the second floor and wait for a bit.”
“Alright, you go on and get busy. See you in a bit,” Hansel replied, waving goodbye to Bernard.
He went up the stairs to the second floor, walked along the west corridor to the meeting room, and found that someone was already waiting inside: the director of the Tax Bureau, who had taken office just six months ago…Steve Fielding.
However, to say he had only taken office half a year ago was not entirely accurate. Steve Fielding had already been one of Alda’s tax collectors back when Paul’s father, the old Grayman, was still alive. He and several other tax collectors had been under the leadership of the then Keeper of the Seal, Old Ford. After the current count established the Administration Council, tax matters were not handled by a separate department for a long time. Instead, they continued to be directly managed by Old Ford in his capacity as steward, with Fielding and the other tax collectors still reporting to him.
It was not until six months ago that Count Grayman felt that tax work required a separate agency. Thus, the Administration Council gained a new department…the Tax Bureau. On Old Ford’s recommendation, Steve Fielding stood out from the many tax collectors and was appointed by Count Grayman as the director of the Tax Bureau.
“Good day, Sir Abbott.”
Seeing Hansel walk into the meeting room, Fielding immediately stood up to greet him. He held great respect for Hansel, who hailed from the royal capital, Crystal Shine.
“Good day, Steve. How many times have I told you? You can just call me Hansel. We’re colleagues and friends.”
Hansel replied with a hint of resignation.“Haha, it’s just a habit of speech, but rest assured, I’ve always considered you a friend.”
Fielding said to Hansel with a smile, scratching his head a little awkwardly as usual.
Hansel sat down next to Fielding and said in a low voice, “Do you think this meeting could be about financial issues?”
Fielding replied, “I think it’s very likely. As you may already know, the war in Horn Bay has had a great impact on our trade. Judging from the tax data from Port Fran, our own merchant ships from the Northwest Bay are doing alright, but the number of ships from the Horn Bay region has dropped by nearly a third compared to the last quarter. As far as I know, some have been ordered by their countries to remain in port awaiting conscription, and some have been directly drafted to fight.”
Hansel and Fielding began to chat, exchanging information and opinions.
During this time, people entered the meeting room one after another: the Steward of the Administration Council, Ford; the Director of the Department of Intelligence, Cecil; the Director of the Department of Forestry, Mark Palmer…
Surprisingly, the Chief Justice of the Lord’s Court, Thomas, also arrived in the meeting room.
Finally, the Count of Alda, Paul Grayman, and the Count of Baylding, Malron Ganard, arrived at the meeting room with Bernard.
Everyone rose in unison and bowed to the two counts.
Paul waved to the crowd and sat down at the head of the conference table. Malron sat in the seat to his left. In the seat to Paul’s right sat the Steward of the Administration Council, Wakely Ford. Bernard, acting as the meeting’s secretary, sat at a small desk behind and to the side of Paul.
“Everyone, the main purpose of bringing you all here today is to discuss the issue of how to balance our fiscal revenue and expenditure.”
Paul introduced the topic of the meeting. He held up a stack of paper and said:
“This is the most recent report. I’d like you all to look it over.”
Then, everyone present received a copy, and they all quickly skimmed through it.
It showed the Administration Council’s income and expenses for the most recent quarter. As everyone had expected, there was a large deficit.
Everyone could guess the reason: the situation in Horn Bay.
The Count has called us all here… he isn’t going to reallocate the budgets for each department, is he? This thought was in everyone’s mind.
If the budgets were to be adjusted, some departments’ funding would inevitably be cut.
Everyone quickly began to prepare their arguments mentally, thinking of how to highlight the importance of their own department to avoid Count Grayman’s axe falling on their heads.
“Ahem!” Seeing the officials’ furrowed brows, Paul cleared his throat loudly and said, “I have already discussed this with Malron and Steward Ford. It is not advisable to alter any of the current expenditures.”
Phew! Everyone let out a long sigh of relief.
“Since cutting spending is not appropriate at this time, what we must do is increase revenue. We must expand the Administration Council’s income.”
The Director of the Department of Intelligence, Cecil, thought to himself, “That’s easy. Just reinstate all those miscellaneous taxes that were abolished these past few years.”
But the Count’s next words stunned everyone in the room:
“We have discussed this repeatedly and feel that the current tax system is obsolete, especially the tax farming system.”
The tax farming system was a common method of taxation in many human nations. The king or lord did not directly tax his subjects but instead entrusted the task to a local individual, giving them a quota for the amount of tax to be collected. Such a person was called a tax farmer. The tax farmer would levy taxes on the people in their designated area in the name of the king or lord, then hand over the required amount of money. The tax farmer could levy an additional amount on top of the originally stipulated tax rate, and this excess would be kept by the tax farmer as compensation for their hard work.
That was how it was supposed to be, but…
“I’ve heard a saying.”
A look of indignation appeared on Paul’s face.
“‘Collect enough for the lord, leave enough for the people to survive, and the rest is yours.’ My heavens, just listen to that…’leave enough for the people to survive.’ Are those the words of a human being?”
“One can only imagine how much these so-called tax farmers were making in the middle.”
Paul stood up, pacing beside his seat and waving his fist.
“So, your meaning is?”
Hansel spoke up and asked.
Paul said, “Abolish the tax farming system. Have our Tax Bureau send people directly to the countryside to collect taxes.”
Abolish tax farming? Everyone was suddenly alarmed.
Cecil asked in astonishment, “Uh… Your Lordship, what if there’s a backlash? I mean, what if those tax farmers resist your new policy? I don’t think they’ll just stand by and watch their interests be harmed for nothing.”
“It’s not up to them! What reason do they have to keep their special privileges?”
Paul punched the air.
“So-called tax farming is nothing but a compromise made under backward social conditions.”
“In our Alda, Baylding, and Emden, there is absolutely no need for such a compromise.”
“In recent years, the roads to the towns have been built, and we have government affairs officers stationed in the villages. We are fully capable of collecting the taxes ourselves, without relying on others.”