I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 222: Consumption Tax and Accountants (1)

The position of a corporate chairman depends on the company they lead.

If it's a small company, the position might be settled at the level of a large corporation's executive, but if it's the chairman of a large corporation, they may receive the same level of respect as ministers at national events.

Income also varies drastically depending on which company’s chairman you are.

For the Rothschild Trading House, the level of influence depends on how powerful the country becomes. The income, political power, and the authority one can gain all change accordingly.

The development of the Tuscany Empire directly translates into my national interest.

It’s no wonder that politicians in the Great Empire risk their lives for the benefit of the people (themselves) or that merchants, even while pursuing legitimate profits (though they may appear unscrupulous), put national interests first.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me an audience despite the sudden request.”

Upon hearing my thanks, the Emperor smugly responded.

“Though I am busy, I am not foolish enough to ignore the counsel of a wise man like the Baron.”

What the Emperor was trying to say was this:

“I, the Emperor, am making time for you, so if your advice is not wise, I will be deeply disappointed.”

Though it may seem like a casual statement, it’s a tremendous amount of pressure.

It was quite a favor for a mere baron to be granted an audience, and I couldn’t fault him for saying he didn’t want to waste his time.

“The last time, thanks to the Baron, we managed to ease the financial troubles of the royal family. The Grand Chamberlain has praised the Baron greatly, and I, too, deeply agree with him.”

This wasn’t just a simple thank you for helping with financial problems.

If you take it at face value, you’ll never survive in a medieval fantasy world like Tuscany Empire.

‘He wants me to solve the money issue, doesn’t he?’

As luck would have it, the issue I brought is exactly that, and it seems like my and the Emperor’s goals are aligned.

“My message also concerns finances.”

A warm smile appeared on the Emperor’s face.

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It turns out, no one is free from money worries until their last breath, even the Emperor of an Empire.

“I’ve heard that the Ministry of Finance and the Commercial Law Department have been calling for the abolition of the stock system. Trying to abolish the system in order to stop fraud related to stocks is the same as calling for the abolition of taxes to prevent problems caused by taxes.”

“Your words are somewhat extreme.”

I recalled a meme that once said it was the best way to persuade people online.

If someone questioned what I was explaining, the meme showed an image with the text: “Then die,” immediately ending the debate.

In reality, using such an approach would never work.

‘But I’ve heard that using strong words from the start can sometimes be effective in persuading others.’

The Emperor might be uncertain now, so it’s important to grab his attention with strong statements first.

“I apologize for the extreme words. However, this is not just the opinion of Baron Rothschild; it is also the advice of a great merchant of the Empire, made for the benefit of the Empire itself.”

Perhaps because I started with forceful words, the Emperor began to listen more intently.

“Sometimes, when taxes are collected, greedy lords or officials exploit the people. Your Majesty, you’ve established monitoring agencies in the Commercial Law Department and Ministry of Finance to oversee tax collectors across the Empire.”

There is no such thing as a perfect system in this world.

Modern society chose democracy not because it’s flawless, but because, after careful consideration, it was the best option compared to feudalism or monarchies.

Democracy was not chosen because it has no flaws.

The issue of tax collection also comes with its own problems. But if we stop collecting taxes and fall into anarchy, we’ll see war, murder, rape, and plunder freely happening every single day.

At least, by collecting taxes, we minimize the number of victims, and that’s why we continue the practice.

The serfs are able to survive because the lords collect taxes, fight off bandits, and maintain some semblance of order.

“I introduced the stock system when I created the poultry farm, and since then, the Tuscany Empire has achieved great economic growth.”

“Great economic growth, you say? How so?”

The nobles of Tuscany Empire are far more knowledgeable about commerce and industry than the Joseon-era scholars.

However, the level of understanding of commerce and industry among Joseon-era scholars was abysmally poor.

When they ran the government, they didn’t even understand the concepts of supply and demand, and were trapped by Confucian ideas that taxes should always be as low as possible.

King Sejong had to create paper currency and decree that anyone who didn’t use it would lose all their property and receive a hundred lashes (essentially a death sentence).

But the funny part was that government offices didn’t trust the value of the currency, so they only accepted taxes in kind. Nobles and officials didn’t use currency at all, meaning the government-issued currency had the same value as Monopoly money.

As a result, King Sejong ended up exploiting the people of Joseon, just like any corrupt official, and eventually, after a report of someone hanging themselves for not using the currency, he abolished the system.

Even if the economic knowledge of these people is better than that, would they believe that stock investments sped up the flow of capital, started all kinds of businesses, and made the common people wealthier?

‘It’ll be hard unless I show them that tax revenue increased significantly.’

I need to provide a simple and clear example.

“Right after the stock system was introduced and the guilds were abolished, the prices in Tuscany Empire dropped significantly. Before, three loaves of bread could only be bought with a single coin, but now you can buy five loaves with the same coin.”

This happened because the monopolistic middlemen from the guild system no longer had a hold on the market, but the bigger reason was that free competition was introduced, and the number of people entering the market through stocks skyrocketed.

“Other prices have also dropped. As a result, the lives of the common people have improved, and Your Majesty will surely realize the positive impact of abolishing the guilds and introducing the stock system by next year.”

The Emperor or even a Duke, or even someone like me, a baron, usually doesn’t need to buy things in the market.

Most nobles don’t even know how much regular goods cost, let alone the prices of things.

‘I’m the strange one.’

However, when you look at the annual expenditure reports and how much has been spent, the changes in the prices will be apparent.

The exact amounts will be listed there.

“The abnormally high prices have been dropping due to the abolition of the guilds, and the competition among new merchants who raised capital through stocks and those who had been established for a long time. As a result, the common people are relatively wealthier, and the finances are more solid because the money spent has decreased due to the lower prices.”

The Emperor nodded as he listened to my explanation.

“Easy to understand. It’s true that you were able to establish poultry farms across the country through stocks. You even had great success in trade with Ifriquia.”

“If frauds are happening with stocks, we should think of ways to stop those scams, but abolishing the stock system itself...”

I purposely cut off my words.

“It’s the same as blocking the Empire’s development. And the development of the Empire is directly tied to the absolute monarchy I promised you before.”

Under an absolute monarchy, the Emperor’s power can be absolute because merchants’ rights are protected, and in return, vast capital can be accumulated.

What I’m aiming for is to rule over all the merchants.

If I have money, I could control even ghosts, let alone the Empire.

“Therefore, why don’t we create a new profession that will oversee stock transactions and audit accounting books? We could call them accountants.”

The reason for creating accountants is very simple.

It’s not just about expanding the stock market, but also throwing auditing bombs at my competitors (primarily) so they can’t challenge my hegemony.

But for now, I’ll keep this bad intention hidden.

Some might call this a bad lie, but since it will benefit both the Empire’s economy and the common people, I believe even the gods will approve.

“And I plan to establish a university to train them.”