Joseph flipped through the financial report before him, his gaze falling on the pie chart showing the proportions of revenue sources.
The largest slice was still land tax and indirect taxes on agricultural consumption, which together contributed 36% of France's fiscal revenue.
Income related to industry, including excise taxes on industrial goods and technology licensing fees, had already surged into second place, accounting for 30% of fiscal revenue.
The remainder consisted of service-sector taxes, tariffs, stamp duty, postal revenue, government investment income, foreign reparations, and so on, making up 34%.
Joseph could not help nodding. To be honest, this revenue composition pleased him even more than the sharp increase in revenue itself.
Just two years ago, agricultural income had still accounted for 39% of France's revenue, while industrial income had been only 26%.
It was likely thanks to the large-scale laying of railway lines that French industrial output had risen so rapidly. And that was while most railways were still under construction and had yet to spur the development of industries along their routes.
Once they truly opened to traffic, French industrial production and trade would surely make another great leap forward.
Even at the current pace of development, France's industrial output would likely surpass agriculture next year, making it Europe's first truly industrialized nation!
After finishing his report on last year's fiscal situation, Gaudin casually added in a teasing tone, "The island across the water finally reached 40 million Pounds Sterling in fiscal revenue last year. Oh, an increase of 1.6% over the year before."
Everyone in the conference hall smiled.
40 million Pounds Sterling was equivalent to 1 billion Francs.
Although the United Kingdom's total fiscal revenue had always been lower than France's, owing to its much smaller population, it had always kept close on France's heels, never