Immediately, he set his sights on Wu Xi, Minister of Finance, and Wu Xi immediately said loudly: "As we all know, with the development of China's industrial and commercial economy, the amount of international trade is increasing year by year, whether it is import or export, the annual figure is quite huge, and the collection of customs duties can not only provide a large amount of tax revenue for the empire, but also has an important leverage effect on the development of the domestic economy and people's livelihood." In order to further promote the income of tariffs and the development of the people's livelihood and economy in the country, the following people are very loud about the adjustment of customs tariffs! ”

As Wu Xi spoke, the ministers also opened the document in their hands, which was a proposal to reform customs duties, but everyone didn't read too much.

Because the reform of customs duties is no longer a matter of one or two days, it has already begun last year, and there have been many coordination meetings of several departments on the cabinet side, but because of the contradictions in various departments, they have not been able to reach a unified opinion, otherwise they would not have come to the imperial meeting to discuss it.

Whenever it is brought to the Imperial Council for discussion, it is basically the Cabinet that is more controversial, and it is said that it is discussed in the Imperial Council, but in fact it is the final vote.

Before the Imperial Cabinet meeting, basically all the ministers were fully prepared, and they were all ready to win over and exchange interests, and whether they would approve or oppose it had already been predetermined.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry first proposed the reform of customs tariffs, and they wanted to reduce export tariffs on agricultural products and processed agricultural products, especially raw silk products, cotton products, and tea products.

You must know that tariffs are not only import tariffs, which are also subject to tariffs, but raw silk and tea, two traditional advantageous export commodities of the empire, and export tariffs have always been relatively high, such as the export tariffs on raw silk, but they have reached 12%.

In 1877, the weight of the Empire's tea exports fell for the first time after decades of continuous growth, which attracted widespread attention from domestic industry and commerce, as well as agriculture and forestry.

Especially in the agriculture and forestry sector, this tea cultivation is related to the livelihood of millions of farmers, once the export is damaged, although there is still a huge domestic market, but it is not always a good thing, so it is hoped to reduce export tariffs, and then reduce the export cost of tea, in order to compete with cheap tea in India.

Raw silk. Although there are no competitors, the export tariffs and the taxes of all domestic links have led to the raw silk industry to bear very heavy taxes, which are high, and the price of raw silk will naturally not be reduced.

Although raw silk is still a luxury jewelry, if the price is too high, it is not conducive to expanding foreign markets.

Therefore, the raw silk industry hopes to reduce taxes and reduce the price of raw silk somewhat, so that the raw silk market can gradually enter the middle class from the upper class in the West, and greatly expand the market for raw silk products.

When a bag of raw silk is 500 yuan, only 1 percent of the population can afford to consume raw silk products in foreign markets, but if it is reduced to 400 yuan, then this number will increase exponentially, and it may be 2 percent, or even 5 percent of the population can afford to consume it.

This will bring a larger total market capacity to the empire's raw silk, where the profit per piece will be less, but the total profit will be more.

In addition to export tariffs, import tariffs are the same, for example, in order to reduce the production costs of domestic enterprises, the domestic policy of low tariffs on high-end industrial equipment has always been adopted, but this certainly allows domestic enterprises to reduce costs, but on the other hand, it suppresses the domestic machinery industry to high-end equipment.

Originally, the technical level of the domestic machinery industry is not as good as that of Britain, France and Germany, if you want to develop, you can only take the price advantage, just like the low-end machinery and equipment in the early years, the domestic machinery and equipment manufacturers are relying on the price advantage, and gradually occupy the domestic market, and kill the similar foreign products.

After years of accumulation, many domestic enterprises are also trying to enter the high-end industry, but the research and development cost of these high-tech products is very high, and the production cost is not low, and the performance is naturally different from the most advanced foreign products.

In this case, the customs also levy very low taxes on similar foreign products, so it is difficult for domestic high-end equipment manufacturing enterprises to rely on price advantages to obtain the market.

After all, the performance is inferior to others, and the price is not much less, and other business owners will definitely not have any patriotic sentiments, and then do not buy better imported goods, but buy domestic goods with low quality and low price.

After the beginning of the 70s, some large domestic machinery and equipment manufacturing enterprises, and some other domestic enterprises that entered high-end industrial manufacturing, began a long tariff public relations, trying to get the empire to increase import tariffs on high-end equipment products.

However, at that time, the empire was in a period of rapid development, and the demand for high-end machinery and equipment was very huge, in order to support the development of domestic enterprises, the empire has always adhered to the policy of low tariffs on the import of high-end equipment.

In the past two years, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce has gradually shifted its focus to supporting high-tech industries, so it also hopes to appropriately raise tariffs on some similar imported high-end products that can be produced domestically.

They also do not require that they be able to obtain similar punitive high import tariffs as woven fabrics, but only hope to increase the tariffs to a normal level, so as to give domestic high-end equipment manufacturing enterprises a space to survive.

Tariffs will affect all aspects, and it is good to reduce export tariffs, but if you raise import tariffs, other countries are not stupid, and they will naturally increase import tariffs on the export goods of the empire.

For example, the empire raised import tariffs on woolen wool and machinery and equipment, and the British would raise import tariffs on raw silk and tea in return.

You must know that the matter of tariffs between the empire and the British was determined after several years of tug-of-war negotiations.

Even though the empire can unilaterally raise the import tariffs on certain goods, others will also follow suit and raise the tariffs on certain export goods of the empire, so that the situation will be a lose-lose situation.

Therefore, in the case of tariffs, we need to take into account not only domestic demand, but also international response, and what is needed is to find a compromise.

And the complexity of the tariffs is also the reason for the dispute on the cabinet side.

After these ministers argued for half an hour, they still did not reach an agreement, according to the usual practice, a vote would usually be held at this time, but at this time, Lin Zhe suddenly spoke: "Several of you have listened, and if you have any opinions, please say it!" ”

Lin Zhe's opening immediately made the group of people below stunned, and then they reacted, Your Majesty did not let the ministers speak, but let the four princes speak.

What's going on?

Many ministers instantly had a lot of thoughts in their hearts, you must know that although there were princes who attended the imperial meeting many years ago, even the eldest son of the emperor, Lin Xuan, who had been observing for several years, had never spoken at the imperial meeting, and generally these four princes only listened to it and did not say it.

But today, Lin Zhe asked these princes to also express their opinions, and for a while, several ministers looked at each other in unison, and then they all saw surprise in each other's eyes.

Could it be that starting today, the princes will officially participate in politics?

And once the prince starts to participate in politics, does it mean that His Majesty has decided to formally consider the issue of establishing a prince?

Perhaps, the position of the prince, which has been pending for twenty years, will usher in its master! (To be continued.) )