Chapter 2462 Stamp Duty

The trick of the technology of "taxation" is to "pluck the most goose feathers" and "listen to the fewest geese".

At the end of 1625, the "stamp tax" decided by the Fizen Council to levy in the Jotunheim colony was such a tax with the characteristic of "listening to the least geese".

The designer of "stamp duty" can be described as original. He observed that people need to frequently use documents such as contracts and loan certificates in their daily life, and the tax base spreads all over the society; Vouchers can be legally guaranteed during litigation, so you won't be too disgusted with paying stamp duty.

"Stamp duty" has been implemented in Fiji for many years. It is an efficient "direct tax" that requires many printed materials to use "stamped" paper, which is provided by monopoly dealers licensed by the Fiji government.

In late November 1625, the Fizen Council decided to extend this effective tax in the New World to the colonies of the New World, and first tried it in Jotunheim for a period of time. As for the two newly purchased colonies, Midgard and In Yalfheim, after the administrative and military integration is completed in the future, the "Colonial Stamp Act" will also be implemented.

The new act stipulates that all official documents, qualifications and newspapers in the colony are published in print, such as lawyers' and doctors' licenses, franchise certificates, bank notes and insurance documents, contracts, shares, securities and commercial papers. Loan notes, import and export bills of lading, legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, books, and even playing cards, each page was stamped with the government's "stamp".

Of course, in order to print "flowers", you have to pay taxes to the government. The amount is not high, and each page of the document is only one copper coin; forging "stamps" is a felony starting from five years!

Since the amount of "stamp duty" was small and evenly distributed, and the legal status given to documents and publications by the government seal, it seemed very fair and reasonable, and the Fijian Parliament passed the bill unanimously with almost no debate.

However, the subsequent evolution of the situation has greatly exceeded the expectations of the "stamp duty" framers.

The "geese" in the colonies are particularly sensitive to taxation. Whether it is a simple and crude "sugar tax" or a more modest and low-key "stamp duty", as long as they try to "pluck hair" from them, they will eventually trigger fierce resistance .

This wave of protests against the "stamp duty" is even more violent than the previous boycott of the "sugar tax"!

The "sugar tax" mainly affected the interests of importers, but the "stamp duty" spread to all walks of life in the colony, especially angering the most influential groups in society, including journalists, lawyers, priests, merchants and bankers. The alliance to resist stamp duty was established, and a vigorous anti-tax movement was set off.

This time the Jotunheimers were no longer simply resisting “stamp duty,” as a political pamphlet put it:

"'Stamp Duty' is a dangerous omen, the epitome of tyranny!"

"Yesterday was the 'sugar tax', today is the 'stamp duty', God knows what tax will be levied tomorrow, if things go on like this, when will it end?"

"If the 'Stamp Duty' is not abolished, the Fizen Council will think that we are weak and deceitful, and will definitely intensify in the future and do whatever we want!"

"If we don't dare to speak out today and actively resist the 'stamp duty', when we are put on a noose in the future, I'm afraid it will be too late to protest!"

...

This kind of alarmist propaganda has successfully aroused the deepest fear in the hearts of the people of Jotunheim and even Midgard and Alfheim. The colonists seemed to see a pair of evil black hands reaching out to them, trying to suppress Clog their throats so they can't breathe.

It is generally believed that the frequent strikes by the Fizen Council on the colonies indicate that they have begun to abandon the previous "laissez-faire" policy towards the colonies and turn to "strict discipline". Same with the end of the world!

Instigated by leaflets and pamphlets, anti-tax people took to the streets one after another. First, demonstrations, and later naturally evolved into looting, and even the local customs and tax bureaus were attacked. Thugs smashed glass and destroyed tables. chairs, burned houses, beat tax officials, and made a mess.

In the center of the new wave of anti-tax movement, New Avalon, the capital of the Jotunheim colony, of course, the active figures of the "Sons of Liberty" who are professional households who make trouble.

Joseph Adams, the spiritual leader of the "Sons of Liberty", foresaw as early as early 1622 that the northern city of New Avalon would become the main stage of the independence movement in the New World, so he moved here to develop his power.

After more than three years of painstaking efforts, the "Sons of Liberty Association" has established a solid foundation in Jotunheim. In the capital city of New Avalon alone, there are no less than 2,000 official members, which is equivalent to one "Freedom Society" for every hundred people. "Sons of Liberty", the tentacles of influence penetrated into all strata of the colony, from nobles, celebrities, wealthy businessmen and wealthy businessmen, to traffickers, pawns, gangsters and gangsters, all have the eyes of "Sons of Liberty".

Starting from the month when the Stamp Act was promulgated, a large group of "Sons of Liberty" responded to the call of the organization, either by car or on horseback, from Midgard and even further away from Yalfheim to Jotunheim to help local comrades who lacked fighting experience They conspired to launch violent attacks against tax workers.

Relying on the rich experience of riots accumulated over the years, the elite backbone of the "Sons of Liberty Association" from the south quickly gained the leadership of the Jotunheim anti-tax movement.

In addition to continuing the traditional performing arts, covering the bodies of tax collectors with tar, sticking feathers, and then putting ropes around their necks and pulling them out to show the public, the "Sons of Liberty" also boldly innovated and developed many tricks aimed at humiliating the tax collectors. A lynching that tortured its victims.

For example, tie a scarecrow, put clothes on it, write the name of a certain tax collector on the back, hang it from a tree and whip it, and then set it on fire—this kind of naked threat is enough to scare the person into a nightmare!

For example, to poison the pet dog of a "royalist" person, cut off the dog's head, put it in a package and send it to the owner, when the other party unpacks the package and sees the bloody head of the pet dog, if you can still insist on not being killed If you faint, you will find the threatening letter attached to the package.

"Mr. ××, do you like this little gift?"

"We know that you have two lovely sons and three beautiful daughters. If you still refuse to be smart and want to be right with the people, let's take a guess and the next one will be put in a package and sent to you." Whose head could it be?"

Thanks to the book friend: tce, this week rewarded 600 starting coins