The former has the Criminal Court and a legitimate reason, but imposing commercial taxes without a just cause will inevitably be full of difficulties.
The difficulty of commercial tax reform is far greater than judicial reform.
This is because commercial taxes are taken from the mouths of various families and even aristocratic families in Jing State.
Given Jing State’s current taxation system and financial situation, it will not survive more than five years if it does not carry out commercial tax reforms.
However, if commercial tax reforms are carried out, they may not last more than three years if they are not implemented properly.
Before Fang Yun's reform, whether it was the reform of the Ministry of Personnel or the reform of the judiciary, it did not touch the fundamental interests of the various forces. However, the commercial tax reform was different, as it was cutting into the flesh and blood of the major forces.
Without sufficient exchange of interests, the major forces will certainly not give up.
In Shengyuan Continent, the real big businessmen are all scholars. These big businessmen either come from big families themselves, or have powerful, wealthy or aristocratic families behind them.
Increasing taxes actually means taking money out of the pockets of scholars in Jing State.
This is far more difficult than undermining the imperial power.
After all, the saintly families are also among them.
Therefore, this time Fang Yun did not force the reform as he did with the Ministry of Personnel and the judiciary. Instead, he first established the General Administration of Taxation, completed the structure and system of this department, and then did other things.
The establishment of the Directorate General of Taxation did not attract much attention, because on the surface it was just about sorting out taxes, increasing the number of tax personnel, and ensuring smooth tax collection, which did not touch the core interests of any force.
During the construction of the General Administration of Taxation, Fang Yun held a summer literary gathering and invited all the noble families, wealthy families and major forces in Jingguo to participate.
Fang Yun was also a scholar, so this kind of literary exchange would not violate any taboos, but the people he invited were too special and immediately became the focus of the entire country.
Fang Yun specifically invited the heads of the major families in Jing State.
Fang Yun is a virtual saint of the human race and the left prime minister of a country. His status has long surpassed that of the heads of ordinary families. Therefore, all the families in Jing State attach great importance to it. Except for a few heads who are unable to attend, all the heads of the families brought their family elites with them. Some families even specially selected the most beautiful women from their own family to participate in the literary gathering.
Fang Yun invited Chen Mingding, the head of the Chen family, to preside over this literary gathering. This literary gathering was not much different from ordinary ones. It was nothing more than reciting poems, writing essays, and playing tossing pots.
Many people were somewhat disappointed. They thought Fang Yun would announce something big. Later, they speculated that this was probably Fang Yun using the literary gathering to communicate with various forces in Jing State. It did not have any profound meaning, but was just an expression of Fang Yun's attitude.
The Prime Minister Zuo is willing to share the world with scholars.
As the end approached, Fang Yun finally came to the fore.
Fang Yun’s first sentence left everyone stunned.
Fang Yun sighed and said, "Ah, it's really hard to be the left prime minister!"
Everyone looked at Fang Yun in amazement, especially some of the women who were dressed up gorgeously. They were even filled with disappointment. They did not expect that Fang Yun would bring up such a topic at a literary gathering.
Fang Yun ignored everyone and continued to complain.
"Look at this Spring Garden. When I came back last time, the grass and trees were just beginning to turn green. Now it is lush and lush, with lotus flowers blooming. I just realized that I haven't been back for months. The position of Left Prime Minister seems glorious, but it is actually very difficult. Above me, there is the Holy Court, the Punishment Hall, and the Etiquette Hall. I can't move. In the middle, there is the Queen Mother in charge, and below, there are hundreds of officials holding me back. Even if I have all the strength, I can't use it. But there is one thing I am very relieved about!"
Fang Yong looked at the people present with a sincere look and said, "Most of the scholars outside our court support me."
Some young scholars did not expect Fang Yun to be so difficult.
"Don't worry, Fang Xusheng, we will always support you!"
"You are the pillar of Jingguo, how could we object!"
"Fang Xusheng, please relax. Even if everyone in the world opposes us, we will stand firmly by your side."
The young people were filled with excitement, but the older scholars just looked at Fang Yun quietly. Some of them even frowned, feeling something was wrong.
When the young scholars had finished speaking, Fang Yun smiled and said, "Thank you all, I feel much more relieved with your words. However, Jing is facing internal and external troubles and crises. My colleagues and I have worked hard, and I dare not say that it is perfect. As long as Jing can make steady progress, we will be satisfied. I didn't want to say these words at the literary meeting. Unfortunately, I just learned today that the national treasury is not making enough money, and the court's finances may encounter some difficulties."
The whole audience was silent.
Now even young scholars with insufficient experience realized that Fang Yun was crying poor and there must be a deeper meaning behind it.
Fang Yun seemed to not care about what others thought, and continued: "What should we do if the treasury is empty? There was a man named Dong Yueqian who said that he wanted to increase the land tax. I was so angry at the time that I almost slapped him. How much grain can the farmers of Jing country produce after working hard for a year? How much money can they earn in total? If the land tax is increased, how can the farmers live? How many tragedies will it cause? Is this what our officials should do? It's ridiculous!"
There were many guests at this literary gathering, so Fang Yun invited people from the cabinet, including Li Zhixiao, Xu Changgeng and Dong Yueqian.
All the cabinet officials looked at Dong Yueqian.
Dong Yueqian's face turned red with embarrassment, but he was too honest to say a word. He had never said such a thing before, but he didn't dare to oppose Fang Yun in public. He was like a dumb person eating bitter herbs, unable to express his pain.
Li Zhixiao is a gentleman. He was puzzled and felt that this was not something Dong Yueqian would say.
Xu Changgeng was the smartest one. He vaguely realized something and laughed secretly. Then he patted Dong Yueqian and whispered, "Don't get me wrong, this is a good thing."
Dong Yueqian felt aggrieved, but dared not say anything.
Fang Yun continued, "I thought at the time that when the country is in trouble, all sides will support it, but we can't exploit the working people, don't you agree?"
Less than half nodded.
The older family heads were motionless, like wooden sculptures.
"So, there is a proposal by Xu Changgeng that we should impose higher taxes on the richest people in Jing Kingdom," Fang Yun said.
Xu Changgeng, whose hand was on Dong Yueqian's shoulder, was stunned and confused. What was going on? He never said this. How could the Prime Minister make such a lie
When Li Zhixiao saw Xu Changgeng's expression, he immediately guessed the reason and almost laughed out loud. He lowered his head and tried hard to hold back his laughter.
Xu Changgeng is a popular figure in official circles today. He has become extremely famous because of Fang Yun. Almost most people present know him, so a series of inexplicable glances swept over him.
Xu Changgeng swallowed his anger and said nothing.
Li Zhixiao patted his shoulder unkindly and said, "Don't get me wrong, this is a good thing."
Fang Yun added: "I scolded Xu Changgeng at the time. What's wrong with the rich? The rich didn't make their money by force. They earned it through hard work and wisdom. Why should we raise taxes? Xu Changgeng even argued with me, saying that there are differences among the rich, and not all rich people should be taxed. I thought about it carefully and realized that this is the truth. So I thought, should we reduce some taxes so that some people with low incomes don't have to pay taxes?"