New Shun 1730

Boom...

Just by mentioning the word "tax increase", the representatives of various cities present were suddenly in an uproar.

The Dutch Provincial Council has a total of 18 seats, and each city with status occupies one seat. And just like the system of the Republic, each seat has a veto.

If you want to increase taxes, all 18 seats must agree, because the Dutch Province is not in power now, only the Grand Speaker. Now only Frilands, Gelderland, and Drenthe are in power, and the Grand Speaker cannot force it through.

This tax increase cannot be just the Dutch Province itself, but all provinces must increase taxes according to the tax payment ratio in 1616.

But the first step is to get the Dutch Province to agree to increase taxes.

Only if the Dutch Province increases taxes, the other provinces may follow suit.

If the Dutch Province itself does not agree to increase taxes, then the other provinces are even less likely to agree.

The representatives of various cities whispered to each other and expressed great shock at the tax increase.

Increase taxes, whose taxes will be increased?

The Netherlands implemented a tax farming system, but the problem is that the Netherlands's pillars are commerce and finance. It is no longer the Netherlands that was suppressed by Japan's textiles and Britain could not sell a single piece of woolen cloth, and finally left in disgrace in the third year of Tianqi.

Asking for tax increases on commerce and finance? Add progressive taxes? Add inheritance taxes? Isn't that just collecting money from yourself?

Everyone thought, we finally got rid of the ruling party and created a 40-year vacancy, what's the point?

Isn't it just to pay less taxes and reduce the military?

Anthony Heim, don't you look in the mirror yourself? Your predecessor, Vaseline Grant, is a recognized strongman.

Smart, capable, resourceful, ambitious, and popular. In terms of connections, he is the son of DeWitt's nephew, who was the founder of the golden age. How many people still miss him?

With such strong conditions, has he ever accomplished anything as the Speaker for ten years?

Wanted to centralize power, but failed; wanted to expand the military, but failed; wanted to build ships, but failed; wanted to change the tax system, but failed.

You have only been in office for three years. In terms of ability, methods, and support rate, you are far inferior to your predecessor. Where do you get the confidence that you can accomplish it?

In 1727, a whole year of meetings were held because of tax reform. What results were there? Nothing.

Raise taxes? Isn't that nonsense?

Anthony was not surprised to hear the buzz in the meeting hall. He had known that this would be the result, but he still hoped to convince everyone.

"Gentlemen, the former Grand Speaker, our respected Lord Vaseline Grant, said before his death: Throughout the history of the Republic, there has never been a truly effective centralized government. Even the Republic cannot be considered a country. It is a miracle that we have not been divided."

"But, gentlemen, we cannot pin our hopes on the continuation of miracles."

"We do not have a field army now, and our battleships have not been updated for 40 years. Our limited soldiers are stationed on the southern border."

"But we should know one thing: the premise of fortress tactics is to have a field army. If there are only fortresses but no field troops, then those fortresses will be vulnerable to the French."

Taxes cannot be raised.

The former consul of the centralized government accidentally fell and died.

The army can only rely on fortresses, not field battles.

The Netherlands has almost gathered all the serious diseases of the late empire, and also added the characteristic diseases of the commercial oligarchy system and hollowed-out commercial finance-it is indeed a characteristic of the Netherlands, because except for the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, other places are not qualified to have this disease at this time. Really unworthy, unqualified.

Anthony Heim tried to reason as much as possible, but who doesn't understand reason? No matter how dumb the people present were, they knew that fortress tactics needed a field army to cooperate; and field army needed money; money required taxation.

After a long silence, someone proposed a way to increase taxes.

"Since this is to defend the entire Netherlands, then all Dutch citizens should pay taxes, so that it is fair."

"Can we distribute the required military expenses to everyone according to the number of people?"

"That's fair."

"Our property is all legally obtained. Since it is to defend the Netherlands, it means to defend everyone in the Netherlands, so everyone is equal, and should not bear different obligations because of the amount of property."

"Fairness is the cornerstone of our motherland's republican system, which cannot be destroyed. It is precisely because of fairness that we can create a golden age, which is our unique pride and pride."

Once the idea of ​​​​sharing military expenses was proposed, it was immediately agreed by most people present, and it immediately rose to the level of tradition, fairness, national pride and pride.

"Yes! I agree!"

"Yes, we should defend our fairness. If fairness cannot be guaranteed, then the foundation of the Republic will not exist. How is this different from those monarchies? Even if we win, what's the point? Is it worth it?"

"Yes, if such fairness cannot be guaranteed, we will usher in a dictator like Cromwell!"

"This is the cornerstone of the Republic and cannot be destroyed."

"Moreover, in order to ensure fairness, for this military expenditure, we should not adopt the original provincial proportional tax, and the Dutch province will continue to pay 58%. Instead, it should be shared according to population."

Anthony Heim's hands clenched quietly under the table, and he could only feel deep helplessness.

He finally understood why his predecessor, Vaseline Grant, who was the Secretary General of the Federation before becoming the Grand Speaker, had not accomplished anything in ten years as the Grand Speaker.

At this moment, he thought of a secret conversation between Vaseline Grant and his successor before his death.

"The people are against the regency oligarchy, but they cannot organize themselves, and the only one who can organize them at this time is the Orange Party."

"The Orange Party may not do better than us, and may not be able to ease the contradictions between the people and the city regency oligarchy. But the people are hopeful and feel that it can't be worse. This hope fantasizes the Orange Party into a totem, a symbol of all their good hopes."

"However, if one day the Orange Party comes to power and everything remains the same, the last bit of fantasy in the hearts of the people will be shattered, then they may take a third path."

"A path that belongs neither to the regency oligarchy nor to the Prince of Orange, and is extremely dangerous for our families."

"The future of the Netherlands lies in the establishment of an effective, centralized government. If the Netherlands wants to return to the golden age, it needs a Caesar... at least, a transition to the great republic again. Just like Cromwell to Britain. But William, there is no such ability."

These dying instructions made Anthony Heim feel weak and powerless.

William is the only one who has the possibility to reshape the centralization and increase tax revenue.

However, it is only a possibility, and the ability, I am afraid... at least it seems that the ability is very poor now.

Just as the former Grand Speaker said, if the people find that the Orange family is also a mess when they come to power, it will be equivalent to cutting off the roots of the Dutch system at this time, and they will choose the terrible third way.

But what can be done now?

The two treaties that need to be fulfilled urgently involve the international reputation of the Netherlands, but it takes money to fulfill the treaty.

The people were already quite dissatisfied. Under the tax farming system, once the third way was taken, all tax farmers might be hung on the street lights built in Amsterdam to facilitate the transportation of goods.

Now the military expenses have to be evenly distributed to every Dutchman? Isn't this like pouring palm oil into a burning house?

"Gentlemen! This tax increase is not feasible."

"Although Britain is still trying to mediate, the possibility of failure is very high. Austria will not give up Silesia."

"Once France supports the usurper king, we must fulfill the Anglo-Dutch joint defense treaty signed in 1678 and 1716. Otherwise, we will lose the only ally we can rely on."

"And it takes time to build a field army. We don't have time to continue arguing over the issue of tax increases."

However, the crowd was not convinced by his reasoning.

"Mr. Speaker, if you think that the equalization of tax increases is not feasible, then you can take out loans or issue national debt."

"Driven by patriotic sentiment, some people were willing to lend to the navy at an interest rate of 6% to let the navy build ships. I think we can incite a wave of patriotic sentiment and get people to buy national debt."

Anthony finally got angry when he heard the word national debt.

"Gentlemen, your fathers should still be around, and even you should remember the second great rally in 1717. Wasn't the cause of this rally because we didn't pay the national debt on time the year before?"

"You should know how terrible the consequences are if we can't pay the national debt on time. Financial chaos and the general loss of confidence in the federal government."

"But that rally still didn't solve the financial problem. The current finances can't prepare for this war by raising public debt."

"Because... we can't afford it."

He found a set of data from a pile of papers, a set of shocking data, and read it to everyone present.

"60 years ago, Amsterdam had a population of 200,000. Now, Amsterdam still has a population of 200,000. After the golden age, we seem to have stagnated, or even regressed. Because even a city like St. Petersburg has a population of 200,000."

"Let's look at the data of Amsterdam and neighboring cities."

"40 years ago, we had 25 tobacco factories, and now there are only 8 left; we had 80 large textile factories, and now there are only 17 left; we had 46 shipbuilding docks, and now there are only 22 left; we once had 550 schooners that could be converted to auxiliary navy and provide enough sailors at any time, but now we only have 10 0 ships; Leiden once produced 40,000 feather yarns a year, but now it can only produce 10,000 pieces a year; Zierikzee once had 40 salt factories, but now there are only 8 left..."

"Under such circumstances, if our fiscal and tax revenues do not change, we simply cannot pay off the public debts for this war. We cannot issue public debts anymore, otherwise our credibility will be completely bankrupt."

"And the fact of decline also makes us sober. We cannot spread the military expenses evenly among everyone, which will cause a riot. Behind these data, it means that many people have lost their jobs and are no longer able to pay such an evenly distributed military expenditure."

However, these data still did not convince everyone.

Everyone was just silent, not speaking, not expressing their opinions, sitting there silently, delaying time.