Ming Zuo

Chapter 629 Financial Budget
The last item on the agenda of the plenary session of the Legislative Council is also the most exciting.

That is the budget review.

The most important foundation for governing a country is, of course, finance.

Only when the finances are sufficient can various tasks be carried out smoothly and a country can be governed smoothly.

On the contrary, Daming is the best example.

Everyone at the meeting was very curious about the financial situation of Shandong.

And they can decide the budget, no doubt, this important power makes them realize their own value.

Cabinet Prime Minister Hou Xun walked up to the stage under the watchful eyes of everyone.

This is his first time as Prime Minister and Minister of State.

This experienced official is also amazed by the current situation.

If he was still in Daming, he should be able to join the cabinet by now with his qualifications.

But how can the cabinet ministers of Ming Dynasty compare with themselves in terms of power?
After standing still, Hou Xun opened the document in front of him, took a deep breath, and tried to make his voice louder.

"The current government budget includes the first quarter of Chongzhen's fifth year and Chongzhen's sixth year..."

The concept of quarter has already been conveyed and popularized in previous documents.So everyone knows that this refers to the first three months of the sixth year of Chongzhen.

Because the plenary session of the Legislative Council is held in late June or early July, the first quarter of this year must be added to the budget.

Looking at the numbers on the document, Hou Xun was full of confidence.

"According to the current government's statistics, the overall fiscal revenue last year was [-] million taels of silver..."

Before the words fell, the audience erupted.

Many people who had been officials in Daming couldn't help throwing away the documents in their hands.

That was scary.

It was really because the figures announced by Hou Xun were too astonishing.

Thirty-seven million taels of silver!
What is that concept?
Not to mention, this is only a province of Shandong.

The Ming Dynasty was rich all over the world, and the monarchs and ministers managed it painstakingly. The wealth they could control a year was only four million taels at most.

As a result, internal and external difficulties and difficulty in walking, not to mention supporting the needs of the war, even the salaries of officials cannot be distributed in full.

As a result, the income of a province in Shandong was as high as [-] million taels of silver.

How exactly is this done?
During the discussion among the crowd, Hou Xun announced the specific details.

"Among all fiscal revenues, agricultural revenue is [-] million taels, and industrial revenue is [-] million taels. Foreign trade accounts for the largest proportion, [-] million taels."

All the representatives present were stunned.

No one thought that agriculture, which is the most important in their eyes, is actually the one with the least income.

A representative didn't hold back and asked, "How much is the agricultural tax?"

Hou Xun looked over and replied: "There is no agricultural tax in Shandong. According to laws and regulations, the agricultural tax has been cancelled."

This time it was even crazier.

Many people searched out the tax law documents and read them carefully, only to find out that there were no provisions related to agricultural tax.

Not only is there no agricultural tax, but the rest of the corvee, poll tax, etc. are all gone.

Another representative asked: "Why cancel the agricultural tax?"

Hou Xun was already prepared.

"Today's agriculture is all dependent on the sky, and the output is limited. Even if it meets the daily needs of the people, it is still insufficient. If the agricultural tax is imposed, farmers will not be able to survive and will lead to social unrest."

That representative is unrelenting.

"Without collecting agricultural tax, how can the state finance make up for it?"

Hou Xun smiled.

"Didn't you hear the financial situation I reported just now? Our annual financial revenue is [-] million taels of silver. Even without the agricultural tax, it is enough to support our needs."

The man suddenly realized that he was ashamed, and then he realized that he had fallen into a dead end.

Everyone talked endlessly, and they all had a new understanding of this brand new regime.

It turns out that in this world, it is still possible to maintain the operation of a country without relying on agriculture, farmers, or agricultural taxation.

What shocked them most was the enormous benefits brought by industry and commerce.

After introducing the fiscal revenue, Hou Xun introduced the government's fiscal expenditure plan for the next year in detail.

"In the next two to three years, it is expected that there will not be too many military operations on land. Therefore, we have sufficient funds to be used in various livelihood constructions. Next, medical and health projects, water conservancy projects, transportation projects, Education, technology research and development, and livelihood projects will be the focus of fiscal expenditures."

Following his words, the staff distributed the specific and detailed financial expenditure plan.

Shen Xun didn't open the plan, but heard something that caught his attention.

This is the instinct of being a soldier.

"Why did the government decide that there will be no major military action for a long period of time in the future?"

Hou Xun looked at Zuo Menggeng.

"For the specific reason, the government adopts the judgment of the High Command. If you have any questions, please consult the High Command."

Shen Xun stopped asking.

He is a senior general, and he clearly knows that the army has its own set of strategic research and judgment mechanisms.

It's just that as a general, he can't fight for a long time, which really makes him very regretful.

After Hou Xun, the chief officials of various places stood up and handed over the financial budget reports of various places.

Basically, the financial situation of all regions is very sufficient, and they are all ready to invest a lot of money in the local infrastructure.

For this, everyone also understands the significance.

Therefore, there was no embarrassment in the audit, and all reports passed smoothly.

The last person to stand up was Zhang Yan, head of the logistics department.

He will announce the budget on behalf of the military.

"After research by the High Command, the military will need about [-] million taels of finance in the next year..."

This passage caused waves again.

Wang Mengzhen stood up.

"Minister Zhang, why is the military's funding needs so low?"

He has seen what the new army looks like many times, so he knows it all.

From his knowledge, the construction cost of the new army is obviously much higher than that of the Ming army.

The virtue of the Ming army can't be beaten by four million taels of silver every year.The fact that the new army only needs [-] million taels of silver is undoubtedly full of strangeness.

Zhang Yan said as a matter of course: "The military has its own income in addition to the military expenditure approved by the Legislative Council, so it does not need too much financial support."

Hearing that the military has its own source of income, Wang Mengzhen was very dissatisfied.

But he was mature and prudent, and did not speak out on the spot.

After the meeting ended, he found an opportunity and found Zuo Menggeng in front of him.

"Commander, the old man wants to talk to you about military issues."

Zuo Menggeng saw clearly, and said with a smile: "Mr. Ting Yu came here for military expenses, right?"

Before Wang Mengzhen could answer, Zuo Menggeng said again: "Now there is just a case, which can be used as a case. Mr. Ting Yu and the younger generation, I believe you will understand after reading it."

　The first two chapters are all blocked, waiting to be unblocked!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)