Li Yi knew that after the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang dynasty had no money, so they used two tax laws and monopolized salt and iron wine.
At that time, the officials did not object.
It was the same now. If they objected, they would release the officials.
If you have the ability, you can rebel. After killing so many people in recent years, who cares about you?
Li Longji heard Li Yi's casual words and felt relieved.
"I wonder how much money the Governor will get from collecting business taxes."
Li Longji did not collect any taxes and wanted to get a number from Li Yi.
"It depends on what kind of taxes are collected, whether the taxes are uniform, and how much the local tax is cut. Only then can we determine the tax revenue of the Governor."
Li Yi could not answer. The trial run was still in progress and the place had not changed.
After paying taxes in one place, the merchants could not pay taxes in another place.
They needed to show the receipts of one place to the other place. The receipts could not be casually issued and had to be recorded.
Li Longji also thought of this problem when he heard the local tax.
"Brother Yi, what should we do if the local government casually issues receipts and the merchants bribe the local officials?"
"Easy. I will make a kind of receipt called a triplicate receipt. At the same time, I will use wax to make carbon paper.
Each set of three receipts has a separate number. When the local government issues the receipt, I will make three copies.
One copy will be given to the merchant, one copy will be credited to the account, and one copy will be kept as a counterfoil.
At the end of the year or the chosen date of settlement, I will check the receipt. I will not be able to pull out any of the receipts as the serial number will not match.
There will be anti-counterfeiting measures on the receipt. No one can fake it.
When I reach the next place, I will record the receipt. I will leave the date, the person who handled it, and the receipt number.
In this way, I will not take out a single cent. I will take as much as I need and leave a portion for corruption and benefit the people.
The rest will be handed over to the imperial court. I will use paper money to reduce the losses on the road. This is easy to make. I can even make money. "
Li Yi, as usual, casually gave a solution.
Li Longji smiled and nodded. This was his Brother Yi.
If he asked the same question to all the civil and military officials, they would not be able to come up with an answer.
That's right. When I go to work tomorrow, I will ask the Prime Minister and the others. I will let them think of a solution.
After the meal, Li Longji returned to his courtyard to review the memorials.
Li Yi went to the workshop. He wanted to design colored pencils, the kind with red and blue lead.
Otherwise, with an ordinary pencil, the first couplet could be erased and rewritten.
Whether it was the entry in the account or the stub, it was difficult to check.
Because the first piece of paper was written with a pencil, he rolled up the second piece of paper and wrote a number first, which then fell onto the third piece.
If the third piece is given to a merchant as proof, the merchant will take it away.
The pencil mark on the first sheet was erased, the second sheet was opened, and a new number was written on the second sheet.
He could only use colored pencils. A ballpoint pen was out of the question. How was he going to make that bead?
The quill pen was inconvenient to use. If he used too little strength, he wouldn't be able to make a copy. If he used too much strength, he would tear the paper.
Colored carbon paper was easy to make. All he had to do was add color to the wax paper used by the local reporting office.
After the workshop heard this, they immediately started working.
Pencils were made into pencil cores and then wrapped in paper to replace the wood outside.
The printing of the triplet was done on paper of the same color. The craftsmen would carve the wooden planks and print one set first.
This set would be used for demonstration. The serial numbers were the same. Otherwise, he would have to design a copper plate.
The next morning, when Li Longji left, he brought along a complete set of things. Just like that.
During the court meeting, Yao Chong didn't know why, but he felt uneasy.
Zhang Shuo and Lu Huaishen weren't in a good state either. It had been a few days, and Li Yi had stopped.
This didn't make sense. Something was going to happen.
The matter of collecting taxes was discussed before, so it didn't count.
Sure enough, after everyone finished talking, Li Longji still ignored those who accused Zhangsun Xin.
He didn't dismiss the meeting. His eyes swept over the officials, and the corners of his mouth gradually rose.
Everyone was creeped out. What was His Majesty going to do?
"I want to ask. Collect taxes. If you have a shop, collect taxes. If you can't run away, you can pay it directly.
Merchants can't pay taxes every time they arrive at a place, right? How much tax do you have to pay on the way from Hangzhou to Beijing?
You are all talents of the Tang dynasty. Do you have any ideas to solve this problem? "
Li Longji's voice contained a hint of expectation. Do you have any good ideas? If you do, promote your official position.
Yao Chong and the other two, including Wei Zhigu, closed their eyes at the same time. His Majesty is looking for trouble.
"I have a solution." The assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue stood up.
The minister of the Ministry of Revenue was just a title. Zhong Shaojing was in charge of the Calligraphy Association.
Bi Goo had finished his term in Henan and was about to return to Chang 'an. When he came back, he would be the minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Everyone looked at the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, but Yao Chong and the other three didn't. They knew that the assistant minister was stupid. How could he be so easy to solve?
"I think we should follow the law of water transport. The local government will issue a document and verify it in Chang 'an. If the document doesn't match the local government's data, it will be judged."
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue talked about the water transport. The local government will put the grain and other things on the ships and verify the numbers.
When they arrive at Chang 'an, they will verify it again.
"If the local government is cheating, write a certificate for the merchants and write less of your own. The local government will keep the extra money."
Li Longji asked softly.
"Uh!" The assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue hesitated, "We can ask the local officials to supervise each other."
"What if they all embezzle?" Li Longji's voice was still as soft as ever.
"Send a trustworthy person to the local government to keep an eye on them." The assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue added.
"I trust you." Li Longji said with a smile.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue lowered his head, "I, I am willing to go."
"Who else can think of a solution?" Li Longji ignored the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
The assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue heaved a sigh of relief and quickly shrank back. Otherwise, he would be sent away.
"I have a solution." Cui Riyong, the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stood up.
"I ask the imperial court to create something that is difficult to imitate. The amount of money will be marked on it and sent to the local government. The local government will verify the tax paid by the merchants and issue a certificate.
After a period of time, the remaining certificates will be checked. The amount of tax will naturally be the amount of tax collected.
Just like the exchange certificate, the tax will be twelve bushels and two hundred and twenty coins. The tax will be given to twelve bushels, one for two hundred coins, and one for twenty coins. "
Cui Riyong explained his solution.
Li Longji nodded, "Minister Cui has put in a lot of effort. However, if the merchants take the certificate, can they give it to others and use it next time?"
"They can write down the date on the paper, the day, how many goods, what goods, and how much they are worth." Cui Riyong had a solution.
"Only the date of tax payment, not the date of arrival. If they write down the location of arrival, how will they verify it with the place where the certificate was issued?
If they can't verify it, won't the merchants be able to use the certificate to evade tax? "
Li Longji raised another problem.
"Ah? You want to write down the date in another place? Good idea. As for how to do it, I can't think of anything. "
Cui Riyong shook his head. Going back, no, it was too tiring.
Li Longji maintained his smile as his gaze slowly swept over the place.
Yao Chong directly said, "Your Majesty, I can't think of anything. It's too complicated. Why don't we wait for them to enter a place and directly collect the tax?
If they don't want to sell, then don't enter the county. Otherwise, no matter what they say, they will all be taxed. "
Zhang Shuo stood up and cupped his fists, nodding in agreement.
"Then how is the imperial court going to check the place?" Li Longji said regretfully.
"Your Majesty, tell us. What did Jin Ziguang Lu Da Li Yi say?" Lu Huaishen signaled Li Longji to stop messing around.
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