Advancing on multiple fronts
The people Borolei mentioned were all his "Black Gloves." They were responsible for contacting his subordinates regarding the threat against the Taxation official.
Therefore, as long as they are properly arranged, the police will never be able to trace it back to Borolei.
The butler immediately bowed and said:
"Please rest assured, sir. They left France the day before yesterday."
On the other side, Joseph looked at the report from the Tax Bureau about the recent arrests and deaths of the perpetrators involved in the attack, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
This is more like the France "IRS".
He thought for a moment and then asked Eman to summon Denico, the editor-in-chief of the Paris Business Daily. The Tax Bureau had made such a big fuss this time; they had to make good use of it.
On the one hand, it promotes the deeds of Taxation officials who bravely defeated rioters despite threats and intimidation in order to create a better tax environment in France. This can establish a heroic image for the Tax Bureau and gain public support. On the other hand, it can also deter some people who want to Tax Evasion.
On the other hand, it can be an opportunity to promote the benefits of abolishing the Tax Farmer System for ordinary people. If any problems arise during the transition to a new tax system, it can help to make France society more tolerant.
Eman left to carry out his orders, and Joseph then wrote a commendation order, giving special recognition to individuals or groups who had performed outstandingly, such as Shawn Met, who was the first to kill the attackers, and the Orleans Tax Bureau, which quickly wiped out the mob gang.
He was showing the Taxation officials that being ruthless and decisive was the right thing to do, and that would earn him rewards.
More than an hour later, Denico, the "official mouthpiece" of the French Government, arrived on the second floor of the Tuileries Palace.
Joseph first instructed Denico to publicize the Taxation collectors and the abolition of the Tax Farmer System, and then gave him the banker Charles's information, as well as a copy of the 12 million Franc loan agreement that Charles had just signed with Brienne.
The editor-in-chief asked, somewhat puzzled, "Your Highness, what are these for?"
"Please arrange for a reporter to conduct an exclusive interview with Mr. Charles as soon as possible," Joseph instructed with a smile. "The main focus should be on his strong support for the government's tax reform and the large amount of low-interest loans he provided to alleviate the government's Finance pressure."
"Oh, and one last thing, I should mention that Charles-Boughton Bank has been designated as one of the custodian banks for the King's Fund."
His aim was to maximize Charles's role in sowing discord within the Tax Farmers Guild. On one hand, he revealed that Charles had already "surrendered" to the government; on the other hand, he subtly indicated that surrendering could bring benefits.
It's important to understand that the King's Fund is a core fund concerning the development of agriculture throughout France. It currently has over 34 million Franc in principal—mostly invested by the Old Nobles to maintain their family livelihoods—and also possesses government authorization in agricultural production management, as well as assets such as land, farm tools, livestock, and Patent related to agricultural production. It is bound to develop very rapidly in the future and has a promising future.
Even just a 10% stake in the King's Fund would be a huge sum of money.
For banks, the amount of money on their books directly reflects their profitability.
This will inevitably have a further tearing effect on those Tax Farmers Guild.
After Denico left, Joseph stared at the loan agreement on the table, lost in thought.
Currently, even with this money, next year's Finance will only amount to less than 40 million Franc, leaving us with less than two months to prepare.
If the process of splitting up the Tax Farmers Guild goes smoothly, more people will "defect," but a large amount of capital will certainly flow in other directions.
Therefore, it is necessary to narrow down the channels for distributing the original Tax Farming Income as much as possible, and at least 200 million Franc must flow into the France Finance.
Joseph tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his brow furrowed slightly.
If a government wants to control capital, it has many means, and in extreme cases, it can even enact laws to prevent the capital of a certain bank from flowing out of France. Capital, as the party in charge, has no power to resist.
However, if the methods are too crude and the approach too ugly, it will only scare away other capital and even destroy the normal investment environment in the country. After all, a government that dares to take advantage of private property at any time is definitely a role that all investors will avoid at all costs.
The idea of a King stamping his seal and the army raiding the homes of wealthy tycoons only exists in novels.
Just like his previous "blackmail" of Charles, it was by chance that the latter happened to be Southern Netherlands Financiers, who was hard to separate from the Brabant Revolution and could openly go through the High Court process, so he could take advantage of it.
In this situation, other Investor will only see it as an exception and have nothing to do with them, so it will not cause panic.
Even so, Joseph could only threaten Charles to temporarily freeze his assets; any further action would still instill fear in other investors.
At present, the other giants in the Tax Farmers Guild do not have any leverage against them, so they must find a reasonable and legal way that will not cause a shock to the capital market.
Joseph rubbed his temples wearily. It seemed that he could only use the excuse of "banking sector reform" to delay things for now. However, even this slight delay would allow a considerable amount of capital to choose the French Government.
Even a one-month delay can result in huge losses if the amount of money involved is too large, and many investments need to be finalized by the end of the year, which gives them a slight advantage.
If enough funds for next year's Finance operations cannot be raised by the end of the year, then the only option is to significantly raise interest rates to attract these conglomerates, or to seek financing from the Royal Insurance Company.
However, even if the interest rate is raised to around 18%, it will still be much less than what the Tax Farmers.
In the Villa of Fuld, the head of the France Tax Farmers Guild, more than a dozen of the General Association's leaders sat around a conference table, all with solemn expressions.
Fuld clasped his hands together and said in a low voice:
"As you all probably know, Charles betrayed us and bowed to the government."
Baron Morell said, "I heard from Mr. Charles that he had no choice but to do so because he was involved in the case of the Southern Netherlands Rebels."
Charles didn't even attend the meeting, so this became the only statement made in his defense.
Everyone showed disdain and refuted Morel's claims.
An old man sneered, "He received a share of the King's Fund, is it because he got involved with the rebels?"
"He's always been timid and hesitant, so it's not surprising that he'd side with the government."
"That's right! I heard he got 14% interest from Brienne on that 12 million investment. If taxes aren't included, that's not bad."
If Charles heard this, he would probably cry. His money only had a 4.5% interest rate, which was practically like giving it to the government for free.