67 Episode 5 New Tax Reform Very Natural Introduction (1/2)

It was just as autumn was beginning to deepen.

”Hmm, not enough money.

”Huh, ...... not enough money, huh?

While eating lunch with Karolina and Lunalie, Hercule muttered to himself.

Karolina nodded her head to Hercule's muttering.

”You stopped the huge tribute payment to Fahls, right?

”Well, yeah.

We got a lot of compensation, didn't we?

Well, we got a lot of money, yes.

Coffee and ash porcelain are selling well.

They are selling well.

And the tax revenue hasn't gone down.

Well, yeah.

In fact, the income should have increased.

There's no such thing as a shortage of money.

Why don't you have enough money?

That's what I'm talking about. ......

As Hercule was about to answer, Lunalie, who was struggling with her food with an unfamiliar knife and fork, muttered.

”Increased spending?

”Well, I suppose so.

Hercule nodded broadly.

”...... His Majesty's Arc de Triomphe?

It was built with reparations. I have nothing to do with it.

And the construction of the colonial city on the Taurian Peninsula?

That was reparations, too.

A massive flood control project started in the province of Misrule. ......

That's also reparations.

Hercule used the reparations he received from the Kingdom of Fars mainly for public works.

The money he lent to the Kingdom of Hayastan also came from reparations.

He also invested in the development of the textile industry, the expansion of new farmland, and the development of mines. ......

The reparations money was used to invest in the development of various industries.

The reparation money is just a temporary windfall. ......

It is not suitable for projects that require a large amount of maintenance costs every year.

On the other hand, it is suitable for projects that require a large amount of money at once.

That is why Hercule used the reparations money for the above projects.

What else did you use the money for?

What else did you spend it on?　We also expanded the size of the new bureaucracy. ...... The expenses were much larger than expected. We can't squeeze any more money out of the military budget.

I understand that you've increased the number of ...... officials, but what do you mean by pensions and orphanages?

That's what I meant.

This time, Hercule has unusually dabbled in social welfare.

A survivor's pension is a system that pays pensions to wives who lost their husbands and children who lost their fathers in the war.

Until now, large sums of money have been paid to the bereaved families at once in the form of compensation. ......

In this way, the money was quickly used up and many people became destitute.

In addition, the number of family members was not taken into account at all, and the amount was the same for all, which was unequal.

And in some cases, the money was not paid due to financial difficulties.

Therefore, Hercule decided to change the system and to pay a fixed amount per year according to the number of dependents of the deceased.

Also see ......

A system was also introduced to pay a fixed amount of pension to wounded soldiers and their families (depending on the degree of injury).

Together, these two systems were known as the Soldiers' Pension System.

There are several reasons why Hercule introduced this system.

One practical reason is to prevent the deterioration of public safety.

It was intended to prevent the surviving family members from committing crimes for a living, or from being robbed for the large amount of compensation paid at once.

In addition, soldiers would not be afraid to fight to the death if the government would compensate them for the lives of their families left behind. In fact, they would fight desperately for their families.

This is also a morale booster.

The official reason is to reward the soldiers for their humanity.

Well, there's no reason to explain this. It means what it says.

And finally, Hercule's personal and emotional reason is ......

He could not stand the situation where the families of the soldiers who risked their lives to fight with him were impoverished - their wives were prostitutes, their children were thieves, and in some cases they were sold into slavery.

The man Hercule is only human, and he is subject to favoritism.

For him, the most adorable people (excluding those close to him, such as Karolina) are the soldiers who faithfully follow his orders, fight and die, and their families.

It is only natural for them to treat such cute and lovely soldiers and their families well.

Incidentally, the next cutest thing are the bureaucrats who work with you.

Hercule, who runs the bureaucracy, knows better than anyone else that in order to rule the vast nation of the Lemurian Empire, the bureaucrats must work hard and be loyal.

It is natural for a monarch to want to reward loyalty.

Bureaucrats and civil servants, especially tax collectors, are easily disliked, but the psychology of Hercule is that when he sees a bureaucrat who is disliked by the people, he wants to love him more and more.

In contrast, what Hercule hates the most are the citizens of Nova Lemuria, who don't pay much in taxes, but are still very annoying.

The orphanage is located at ......

Well, I guess I don't need to explain.

It is also for humanitarian reasons, but really for security reasons.

However, ...... Hercule's personal philosophy is that human beings do not have to be equal, but they should be as fair as possible, and they should be given equal opportunities.