Shaoqing of the Customs Department reported to the emperor that as of the end of June, the customs tariffs in the first half of the first year of Long Han had also been counted.

"How much was the customs tariff in the first half of the year?" Liu Jun asked with great interest. Nowadays, the maritime trade is prosperous, there are customs offices in all coastal ports, and the navy also strictly investigates smuggling, so although there are still those who dare to smuggle and evade taxes, there are not many of them, and most businessmen have begun to honestly declare and pay taxes.

"The total customs tariff revenue in the first half of the year was more than 22.37 million yuan." Yang Xun, the young secretary of the Customs Department, did not report the fraction clearly like Huang Daozhou, but gave a whole number.

22,370,000 silver dollars.

Although it is far from being as good as Huang Daozhou's income and expenditure of more than 100 million yuan at every turn, more than 20 million yuan is enough to make the emperor excited. This is not a customs duty, a tax that was not there in the past, this is a completely new income, not a fixed income, and it will only increase as commerce and trade prosper. Especially in the first few months of this year, the customs tariff revenue was still small, and after Liu Jun became emperor, the customs tariff immediately rose sharply, and it was obvious that the customs had lost a lot of tariffs in the past and fell into the hands of officials.

More than 22 million yuan in half a year, and more than 40 million yuan a year.

This is only the customs, in addition to the inland there are a lot of customs and Tianjin, but because Liu Jun prohibits double tax collection, the inland tariff revenue is far less than the customs, adding up to only more than 9 million yuan. These tariffs are called standing tariffs.

The standing tariff is less than half of the customs tariff, but it is far more than the figure of hundreds of thousands of taels a year in the Ming Dynasty. The standing tariff of the Han Empire was more than 9 million yuan in half a year, and it could reach more than 10 million yuan and nearly 20 million yuan a year, which was 780 times that of the Ming Dynasty's banknote tariff.

It is mainly because the Ming Dynasty officials and gentry and other vehicles and ships and goods passed through the customs, all of which were caused by tax exemption.

However, the standing tariff of the Longhan Dynasty reached more than 9 million yuan in half a year, and the tax rate was not high, but the regular tariff was levied at 5 percent. However, no one can be exempt from tax at all customs, and the customs officers of the new dynasty are not as corrupt as they were in the Ming Dynasty, so the tax revenue has increased so much.

The regular customs and customs reached more than 31 million in half a year. Very satisfying to Liu Jun.

Then the young secretary of the Salt Administration also began to pay the salt tax to the emperor.

In the Longhan Dynasty, the salt affairs were divided into two parts, one was the imperial court supervision and management yamen, and the other was the operation department. It was the officials of the imperial court who supervised it, and it was the emperor's private family who operated it.

Up to now, salt affairs, like banks, belong to the emperor's private property, which is contracted by the emperor and then taxed.

Therefore, the income of the salt piece, a piece of the emperor's private own. One piece belonged to the imperial court. The emperor received the income from the sale of salt, and the imperial court received the income from the salt tax.

"By the end of June, in the first half of the first year of Longhan, we had sold a total of 10 million quintals of salt, each of which sold four pieces of silver, earning 40 million silver dollars. Among them, the salt tax is two and a half per stone, so the salt tax revenue in the first half of the year is actually 25 million yuan, the production, transportation and marketing cost is one yuan per quintal, and the after-tax income is 5 million yuan. After deducting business tax, income tax, real estate tax, etc., the net income after tax is more than 3.1 million. ”

"Very good, the revenue from the salt tax in half a year is 25 million yuan, and the rest of the taxes are more than 1.8 million yuan. Very good. Liu Jun praised.

In the past, the salt tax has always been the bulk of the fiscal revenue of the dynasties, because everyone has to eat salt, so the salt tax is actually equivalent to the poll tax. The inexhaustible salt is strictly controlled by the government. It becomes an extremely valuable and essential consumable.

Taxes on salt are two or three times the cost.

However, the salt affairs of the Ming Dynasty have always been very corrupt, and although various reforms have not been able to eradicate the privileged class. Therefore, this reform also treated the symptoms but not the root cause, and in the end, the salt tax that the imperial court could get was only more than one million taels, which was pitiful. Compared with the situation when the salt tax occupied half of the fiscal sky in the Tang and Song dynasties, it was far less.

It's just that countless big salt merchants with a net worth of millions have been created.

Not only did the people not get half of the profits, but they couldn't afford to eat salt, and they bought some low-quality salt at a high price. This has also attracted countless salt dealers to smuggle and sell illicit salt, making local law and order even more chaotic.

Liu Jun's contracted salt transportation and marketing adopts a completely new system, separating production, transportation, and marketing, and even only acting as wholesalers, allowing and unrestricted ordinary merchants to buy wholesale and transport it to the county and villages for sale.

The quality of the salt they produce is better, but the price is lower than in the past, and it has also broken the threshold of salt trafficking, and there is no longer a need to take risks to sell smuggled salt.

In this way, the imperial court got a stable salt tax, and Liu Jun's distribution group also got enough profits after tax.

More than 3 million yuan after tax in half a year is fully enough to cover the cost of procurement, transportation and marketing, including the salaries of hired workers, and there can be no less than one million income.

Liu Jun made money, the imperial court got taxes, the people got cheap and high-quality salt, the merchants got part of the profits, and many people got a job with a good salary, all of them were happy and win-win.

Although the tax revenue of 25 million yuan in half a year is no longer remarkable. But Liu Jun is still very happy, this is a stable tax.

And Liu Jun is also very satisfied with the current salt industry model, even if he doesn't make much money, at least he doesn't let the court put it upside down, and he can still earn millions of net profits after paying enough taxes and giving enough workers' salaries, which is already a fairly complete and sound model, and it can continue to operate like this.

Therefore, when the Shaoqing of the Salt Affairs Department finally proposed that the salt industry be taken under the official ownership and operated by the government, Liu Jun vetoed it.

When officials come to run a business, they either don't understand business, or they can stretch out their hands indiscriminately. It's better to operate as a royal store, which is more reliable.

The industrial and commercial tax revenue in the first half of the year was somewhat surprising to Liu Jun.

In addition to the deed tax on the exchange of 200 million yuan, the customs and regular customs duties, as well as taxes on salt, tea, tobacco, wine and other franchised commodities are excluded.

The industrial and commercial taxes of the imperial court are not much.

In the first half of the year, there were only more than 40 million yuan, which is only a few million more than the customs and regular tariffs combined.

Commercial taxes are mainly business tax, deed tax, real estate tax, income tax, etc., but obviously, although these taxes are established, they will be more difficult to collect accurately. There will be a big loss of taxes, but Liu Jun immediately figured it out again.

Compared with the hundreds of thousands of taels of commercial taxes in the Ming Dynasty a year, including customs duties, Dahan has more than 40 million commercial taxes in half a year alone, which is already very good.

There are more than 31 million customs and standing tariffs in half a year.

The monopoly tax revenue on salt, tea, tobacco, liquor, and horses also reached more than 33 million.

Coupled with the industrial and commercial tax of more than 40 million yuan in half a year, the total of these items has exceeded 100 million.

These taxes alone are almost enough for military spending.

This year, the imperial court also collected 200 million yuan in deed tax, more than 700 million in five-year tax arrears, and 200 million and a half yuan in the first half of the year, and 100 million and a half in the national talent autumn tax.

In the first half of the year, the actual income of the imperial court has reached more than 1.4 billion.

After this number is reported. Even these ministers, who are in charge of finance and taxation, are all flushed. 1.4 billion, the richest dynasty in the world is none other than the Han Dynasty.

This is only the income of the first half of the year, and in the second half of the year, the income from land lease and land endowment will be at least 400 million, and the tariff salt and tea merchant tax is also estimated to be more than 100 million.

At that time, Yunnan, Guizhou, Shaanxi and Gansu will be pacified, and then the fields and properties of those traitors will be confiscated, and then the exchange deed tax and the five-year tax that have not yet been levied in these areas will be collected, and a large amount of money will be made.

In the second half of the year, at least 500 million or 600 million yuan will still be earned.

In this way, the first year of the founding of the Han Dynasty. Isn't the total revenue and expenditure two billion?

There are really so many, and all the ministers are stunned.

Liu Jun was not so shocked, he had already calculated this number.

Whether it is the recovery of tax arrears in five years, or the clearing of deficits by various yamen, or even the forced exchange of deed taxes, they are all ruthlessly squeezing out the taxes that those rich households have not paid in the past.

That's a lot of money.

In addition, due to the prosperity of commerce, especially the large circulation of silver dollar bills. It has also led to an increase in demand for various commodities, an increase in prices, and now there is a slight inflation.

In the past, one tael of silver could buy two stones of rice, but now one stone of grain can get two pieces of silver. Even if one tael of silver is removed, it is equivalent to more than two silver dollars, but the difference in grain price is nearly doubled.

However, despite factors such as price inflation, the income of the imperial court is still incomparable to that of the past, and only one official and gentry pay grain as a messenger. That's a tenfold increase in taxes.

So much income, but the expenses will not be less.

"You make a budget, first come up with 300 million. It is used to pull out the local finance. For example, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangbei, Jiangnan, and other provinces will first draw up a budget of 15 million yuan for each province, while each province will first draw up 10 million yuan for provinces such as Liaodong, Liaoning, and Taiwan, and 8 million yuan for Yanbei, Suiyuan, and South Monan. Shaanxi, Gansu, Yunnan, Guizhou and other provinces will first prepare seven million each. ”

Since the imperial court has already collected all the local surtaxes, and has also spread Ding Yin into the field endowment, and has prohibited the local governments from imposing additional taxes, the local finances must be drawn by the central court.

300 million yuan is only the basic amount, and the local government must first formulate a financial budget and submit it to the Audit Office for examination and approval, and obtain the approval of the imperial court before the final withdrawal of funds.

However, if it is a small project, it will definitely be paid for by the local government, but if it is a large project, it will definitely have to be paid by the imperial court.

"Another 200 million yuan will be used as a military budget, one of which is salary, training expenses, and equipment expenses, and the other 100 million yuan is war expenditure."

The new dynasty has just been established, and it is still quelling the rebellion at the moment, but even if the rebellion in various places is quelled in the future, it will not be released to Nanshan. At that time, there will be an eastward expedition against the Manchu Qing Dynasty, a northern expedition against Mongolia, and even a western expedition against the Mongol tribes in the west, and in the future, there may be another war with the natives in the southwest, recovering Vietnam, etc., and even competing for colonies in the South China Sea.

In short, there will always be military operations for the next 10 or 20 years, and the expenses will not be less. To maintain the current size of the army, it will even have to be expanded.

And a standing army, an elite standing army, military spending is huge. The officers and non-commissioned officers were well paid, and the salaries of ordinary soldiers were not low, not to mention the warships, horses, carriages, artillery, guns, ammunition, and so on that supplied the millions of troops.

"Another 100 million yuan will be used to build schools and education in various places."

"Take out another 500 million yuan to purchase grain, cloth and other materials across the country, and build material warehouses in various provinces to store materials."

The ministers of finance and taxation, who were excited about this year's income reaching 2 billion, felt that a basin of cold water had been poured on their heads. The revenue and expenditure in the first half of the year were only 1.4 billion, and the emperor was about to transfer 1.1 billion in the blink of an eye. Eleven billion, no matter how inflationary it is, it must be worth hundreds of millions of taels of silver, which can be used as the income of the Ming Dynasty in the past ten years. Now it's going to be spent all at once?

The emperor is also spending too much money.

As a result, the emperor is not finished.

"Prepare another 100 million yuan for the management of rivers and roads and canal dredging across the country."

"Prepare another 200 million yuan for special funds for immigration!"

Huang Daozhou couldn't hold back any longer, "Your Majesty, it's already fourteen billion, and the imperial court's income in the first half of the year is only so much." ”

Liu Jun glanced at Huang Daozhou, then moved his gaze to the national abbot Lu Weizhang and other financial and tax officials, and finally closed his mouth. If he continues, he is afraid that these people will all jump.

Huang Daozhou has indeed reached the limit, 200 million military spending, 100 million to run schools, 100 million to repair rivers and 200 million immigrants, not to mention 500 million to purchase material reserves.

Emperor, do you know how much 500 million is? A load of grain is worth two silver dollars for 100 catties, and 50 million loads of rice is only 100 million. Emperor, do you want to hoard all the grain and cloth in the world?

Zodiac Zhou's heart simply can't stand it.

However, the emperor still looked calm and said leisurely, "If you take it from the people, you should use it for the people." The tax revenue treasury must not be stored in the treasury and must be used. But it should not be squandered, but used wisely. Do you think what I just said is a squander? ”

"Military spending is to strengthen the country, defend the country, and even expand the territory, and open up a broader living space for the Han Dynasty and the people of the Han Dynasty. The best defense is offense. ”

"And running education, building roads and rivers are also for the sake of the peace of life of the people in the world, including stockpiling materials. For ordinary Shengdou small people, silver dollar coupons may be wealth. But for the imperial court, this is actually a piece of paper, although these papers are also issued with gold and silver as reserves, but even if it is gold and silver, it is only a piece of paper for the imperial court. ”

These words surprised Huang Daozhou and others.

I only heard Liu Jun continue, "Whether it is gold, silver or banknotes, it is a limited wealth for the imperial court. Only grain, cloth, and steel are the real wealth. I want to buy and store these materials, but instead of transporting them all to Beijing, I will build warehouses in the provinces and land and water docks, why? ”

"In order to regulate, to control the world. Once there is a disaster in a certain place, the government can dispatch food relief and materials for disaster relief in the near future, so that it can recover after the disaster as soon as possible. And if the imperial court had no food, no such materials, only some gold and silver, do you think it would be useful at that time? Can it work in such a timely manner? ”

Huang Daozhou and others all understand, of course not. In the event of a catastrophe, even if the imperial court has grain in its hands, it can transfer grain from all over the country, not to mention the long time, road transportation will also be a big problem. What's more, in the event of a disaster, if the imperial court has no grain in its hands, and at this time the grain is transferred, those grain merchants will only take advantage of the opportunity to hoard it.

With these materials in the hands of the imperial court, and with these storage materials set up at key points in the world, it can not only play a role quickly in the event of a famine, but also play a role in regulating and controlling the situation that the emperor said.

Those businessmen can no longer deliberately hoard, inflate special prices, and control the market.

Which merchant dares to do that, as long as the imperial court immediately opens the warehouse and ships at a reasonable price, the conspiracy of those profiteers can be smashed immediately.

In fact, every imperial court hopes to do this, but in the past, the imperial court had no money. Especially in the Ming Dynasty, the income was not enough every year, and they all demolished the east wall to make up the west wall, and ate grain, how could there be spare strength to establish such reserves, and how could they have the luxury of regulating the market and controlling the world.

But now the emperor has this ability and ability.

Take out 500 million at once, who has such a pride as an emperor? 500 million silver dollars, how many materials must be bought, how many large warehouses must be built, and how much grain and cloth must be stored.

At this moment, Huang Daozhou really felt that he couldn't understand the emperor more and more, and he was no longer the slightly young general he was when he was in Yunyang. (To be continued.) )