The new bookkeeping method was just an interlude and a pleasant surprise. Dai Zhou did not forget the real purpose of coming to the Mo Mansion.
"Your honor, the village of Mo Family should pay 11,3.1 million strings of cash." The middle-aged bookkeeper reported excitedly.
"How much?" Dai Zhou and Meton were surprised at the same time.
"Eleven thousand, three hundred and one hundred thousand strings of coins!" The middle-aged accountant repeated again to confirm.
Dai Zhou's hands trembled. It should be known that in the Zhen Guan period, the annual tax of the whole Tang dynasty was only more than 10 million strings of cash. The village of Mo Family paid so much tax in half a year, which was almost the level of a rich county.
"Marquis Merton has made a promise in front of His Majesty. You can't go back on your words." Dai Zhou said hurriedly.
More than 10,000 strings of cash was enough for the Ministry of Civil Affairs to do a lot of things. And this was only the tax of the first half of the year. In the future, there would be a large amount of tax every month. Dai Zhou saw the account book of Mo Family with his own eyes. The income of the village of Mo Family was skyrocketing. The tax collected in the future would be higher and higher.
"I naturally won't go back on my word. This one would like to ask, what is the Great Tang's tax rate?" Moton asked. He naturally didn't think that the Great Tang was collecting too much, but that it was collecting too little!
"According to the law of the Tang dynasty, all the business tax is 30% tax." The middle-aged bookkeeper said proudly.
"30% tax!" Meton was a little absent-minded. Compared with the 20% tax of the later generations, it was much less.
What Meton did not know was that although the tax of the Tang dynasty was much less than that of the later generations, the average tax of the Tang dynasty was only supported by one official per 4,000 people. In the Qing dynasty, the tax soared to one official per 400 people.
As for the Celestial Empire, haha! Therefore, it was reasonable for the Tang dynasty to charge 30% tax.
It was more than 10,000 strings of cash, which was an astronomical figure. Even though the Ministry of Civil Affairs had prepared for it and specially used the new four-wheeled carriage of Mo Family's village, which could carry an amazing load, they still had to pull more than 10 carriages.
"I've long heard that Mo Jiazi of Chang 'an has the means of the God of Wealth. He really lives up to his reputation." Dai Zhou beamed with joy. With more than 10,000 strings of cash, the Ministry of Civil Affairs would definitely be able to last until the summer grain collection.
However, all the people in the Mo clan seemed to have lost their parents. The Mo clan had only been free from poverty for half a year, so the memories of the past were still fresh in their minds. Now that they suddenly saw so much money as tax, they naturally felt like their hearts were being stabbed.
Zi Yi looked as though she was about to cry, as though she had nothing left to live for. Mo Er and the rest were helping to pack the money while secretly wiping away their tears. Although Fu Bo tried his best to remain calm, but his gaze was unable to leave the ten horse carriages full of money.
"I've made a fool of myself in front of Lord Dai." Meton smiled bitterly.
Dai Zhou waved his hand and said, "This Old Man has seen countless people who love money. There are even more people who love money than this. This is normal."
Dai Zhou used to be a grass-roots official. Compared with the ugliness of some officials who tried every means to evade taxes, what the Village Mo did was already commendable.
"Your Excellency, the taxes of the Village Mo clan have been paid and verified." The middle-aged accountant nodded and said.
"Good. Give Marquis Merton a receipt and go back immediately." Dai Zhou waved his hand and was about to go back with the money.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a loud shout was heard. The Chang 'an County Magistrate, dressed in green, rushed in from the front door, followed by a group of petty officials of Chang' an County Government.
"Su Luosheng, what do you mean by this?" Dai Zhou shouted coldly, directly calling the Chang 'an county magistrate by his name.
"The Village Mo clan is a village under the jurisdiction of Chang 'an county. Collecting taxes is something that a small county should do. How can I trouble you to do it personally?" The Chang' an county magistrate, Su Luosheng, said modestly, but he did not show any mercy. He firmly blocked the path of the horse carriages.
Although they were all collecting taxes, it was different who collected the taxes. If the Ministry of Civil collected the taxes, the Chang 'an county government would not get any money. If the Chang' an county government collected the taxes, they could naturally keep some of the money.
Su Luosheng looked at the horse carriages in front of him with sparkling eyes, and his heart suddenly became short of breath. In fact, it was not only the Ministry of Civil that needed money, but also countless places in Chang 'an that needed money.
Small matter?
Dai Zhou could not help but feel angry. If he could collect tens of thousands of coins of tax in one day, he would be willing to give up his position as a minister and collect taxes every day.
However, what Su Luosheng said was reasonable. Usually, the taxes were collected by the county and then distributed by the Ministry of Civil. However, it involved too many problems.
Xu Jie explained the reason in a low voice to Meton. Meton suddenly understood that this was the common practice in the later generations of local governments to compete with the central government for financial power.
"County magistrate Su, you don't have to bother with this. From now on, the taxes of the Village Mo clan will be collected by the Ministry of Civil." Dai Zhou waved his hand and said.
"Minister Dai, you are wrong. In this world, how can the Ministry of Civil collect taxes directly? If so, what is the point of having a small county? From now on, the taxes of all states and counties in the Tang dynasty will be collected by the Ministry of Civil. " Su Luosheng could not help but ridicule. He could be the county magistrate of Chang 'an because he had a strong foundation and was not afraid of Dai Zhou at all. Moreover, he had made great political achievements recently because of the city's early warning system. It was the critical moment of his promotion and he needed money to make political achievements. Naturally, he would not give in. What was more, the annual taxes of the Village Mo clan was an astronomical figure. How could he give up so easily?
Dai Zhou was also angry when he heard this. It was impossible for the Ministry of Civil to collect taxes from the entire Tang dynasty with only a few people. Therefore, if they wanted to collect taxes, they had to rely on these county magistrates.
The two of them argued. In the face of such a huge amount of wealth, neither of them was willing to give in. Moreover, it was related to the continuous tax in the future.
"If the master is here, let's see who he is willing to pay the taxes to. Is that okay? " Dai Zhou turned the spearhead to Modun. In his opinion, Modun would definitely make a wise choice since he was a first-rank official.
Meton suddenly wanted to curse. One was the minister, the other was the county magistrate, and the other was the county magistrate. Wasn't he being roasted on the fire?
Su Luosheng also understood the hurdle. In terms of advantages, he had a chance, so he nodded and agreed with Dai Zhou's idea.
"The Ministry of Civil is in charge of the expenses of the imperial court. There must be a lot of urgent needs for money," Merton said.
Dai Zhou immediately stroked his beard and nodded. He secretly praised Mo Jiazi for his wisdom and looked at Su Luosheng's livid face proudly.
However, Meton changed his tone and said, "Chang 'an is the capital city. It is related to the face of the Tang dynasty. The daily maintenance and management cost is even more expensive."
Su Luosheng's face suddenly turned from gloomy to sunny.
Dai Zhou immediately cursed Meton in his heart. He actually wanted to avoid offending both sides. He couldn't help but snort angrily, "According to what you said, there is no solution!"
Meton shook his head and said, "It's not that there is no solution."
"Oh, tell me about it," Dai Zhou said.
"Since ancient times, the Ministry of Civil and the local government have never stopped fighting for financial power. If the Ministry of Civil collects more, the local government will be in trouble. If the Ministry of Civil collects less, the country will be weak." Meton pointed out the crux of the problem.
Dai Zhou was an expert in economics. Of course, he knew what Meton said.
"In my opinion, the tax revenue of a county is roughly limited. Why don't we divide the tax revenue of a county according to a certain ratio. Part of it will be directly put into the national treasury, called the national tax, and the rest will be left in the local government, called the local tax, as the local public fund. In this way, we can ensure the stability of the Ministry of Civil's financial resources and solve the local crisis. " Meton directly imparted the theory of local tax and national tax to the two of them. Although it wasn't as detailed as in the future, compared to the Tang dynasty's local tax collection, the rough tax system planned by the Ministry of Civil was much better.
Su Luosheng's eyes suddenly lit up. Even if he kept this tax, the majority of it would still have to be handed over to the Ministry of Civil. Moreover, the amount of tax that was spent would also have to be reported. Moreover, Dai Zhou was a superior after all. He couldn't continue to be stubborn. His tough attitude just now was because he had no other choice. Otherwise, if the Ministry of Civil controlled the tax, it would be hard to say who would get the money.
If they could follow Meton's logic and leave a portion of the tax revenue to be freely distributed, that would be the best.
"National tax, local tax." The more Dai Zhou thought about it, the brighter his eyes became. He only felt that he had opened a new tax door. In the process of collecting taxes in the past, he clearly felt the resistance from the local government. If they divided the tax according to this, as long as there was a tax collection place, there would be a tax from the Ministry of Civil. Moreover, it could stimulate the local government to actively collect taxes, because the more taxes there were, the more financial power the local government would have.
"Marquis Merton is indeed the pillar of the country. The Old Man will definitely report the division of national tax and local tax to the imperial court and let the officials in the imperial court discuss it," Dai Zhou said solemnly.
"Lord Dai, you flatter me. I was just spontaneously involved in the dispute between the two of you. I really don't dare to take credit for it," Meton said modestly.
"Marquis Merton, you don't have to be so modest. If this law is passed, it will definitely be a blessing for the local government of the Tang dynasty." Su Luosheng sighed with emotion. The central government had taken away all the financial power, and the local government was short of money. Even if they had political ambitions, they couldn't make bricks without straw.
"County Magistrate Su, since I'm here to collect these taxes personally, I naturally can't hand them over to you. However, I can now approve the matter you reported to the imperial court. Tomorrow, you can go to the Ministry of Civil to collect the money. As for the future taxes of the Mo Family Village, after I report the division of taxes to the imperial court, we will decide on it, "Dai Zhou said firmly.
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