Chapter 715, Bargaining
Gu Hang was, of course, still paying attention to what was happening on Holy Terra.
However, that's no longer the most important thing.
Gu Hang has decided to accept the proposal put forward by Premier Xu of the Ministry of Taxation.
Of course, not now, immediately, or right away.
There are still many details to be discussed.
For example, the location of tax settlement, and the fact that the five star regions mentioned in the alliance plan pay taxes to the empire in full, but Gu Hang became the chairman of the Spider Web Universe and did not allow the alliance to expand, then should the other nine star regions of the Spider Web Universe leave 30% in the star region government and 20% in the universe government?
After all, these nine star regions are not Alliance territory and therefore do not need to abide by the Alliance Plan.
Of course, instead, while the Space Domain government can be established by Gu Hang, the Space Domain Chairman, the Executive Yuan has the right to intervene in the appointment of the Star Domain Head and the bureaucracy of both the Space Domain and Star Domain governments. In addition to the government, there are also vertically managed administrative agencies, such as the two-tiered military affairs department, tax department, and legal department, which are also subject to the vertical leadership of the Imperial Central Military Affairs Department, Tax Department, and Legal Department.
Not to mention, it also requires the participation of the Inquisition, the Star Guardians, and the Navy, all of whom are subject to restrictions.
The Starbound Army needs funding for its construction, the Navy needs funding for its construction, and the Inquisition needs funding for its activities—all of these require government funding. Even if they don't directly seek funding from the Department of Taxation, they still need funding from the higher-level authorities of these departments, agencies, and military units.
Of course, in their place, the Star Forces, Navy, and government departments that were built up had to listen to the Chairman of the Space Domain and also accept vertical leadership from higher levels.
This is a political arena.
It all comes down to whether the funding from higher authorities or the government of the space domain is more substantial; it's about the struggle for personnel power; and the ultimate result is that these departments are constantly wavering in their efforts to implement the will of the chairman of the space domain, the head of the star domain, and the central government of the empire, compounded by their own departmental interests and the personal interests of their bureaucrats...
There are already so many conflicts of interest; what about corruption? What about differing opinions? Political ideals?
Just thinking about it makes my head spin.
In this situation, how can we improve efficiency? How can we implement the 'salvation plan' that Gu Hang had previously conceived for those worlds in the Spiderweb Universe?
Gu Hang, in his heart, was unwilling to accept that the alliance's expansion would be completely restricted, and that his rule over the Spiderweb Space would only be possible through conventional imperial local government institutions. The whole system of space domains, star regions, star sectors, and planets was far too inefficient, with too many potential points of contention.
However, Gu Hang's unwillingness did not prevent him from using this matter to negotiate.
This means that if you don't allow the alliance to expand, then the alliance plan will not include other parts of the Spiderweb Space, and the tax revenue in those places cannot be guaranteed. You can't get an additional 800 billion in tax revenue beyond the 130 million; it will have to be collected according to the normal tax collection practices of the Empire.
That means not only will more than half of the tax revenue be left to local governments, but the alliance also cannot guarantee low losses.
All things considered, the tax revenue that the imperial central government might receive is only about 50 billion.
A difference of more than ten times.
If you don't allow the league to expand, I'll pay you more taxes;
If the alliance isn't allowed to expand, there won't be any money.
Gu Hang's meaning was quite clear: the tax department should give it more support.
Moreover, even if expansion is permitted, there will be a lot of bargaining involved.
The nine star regions, though large, are utterly devastated by the brutal wars of the past decade or so. Eight hundred billion is simply not worth it; we need to discuss something else.
In addition to keeping the Imperial Central Taxation Department on its toes with money, Gu Hang also needs to put pressure on the Ministry of Government Affairs.
Since they are not under the Alliance system and not included in the "Alliance Plan", should the Imperial Central Astral Army Headquarters and Navy Headquarters allocate funds for the construction of these places' Astral Forces and Navy?
Is the Executive Yuan going to allocate funds to the government for the reconstruction of the planet?
Shouldn't the tax department allocate funds to build a tax fleet? Otherwise, how can taxes be collected? The alliance can't just collect them; that has nothing to do with the alliance, as you don't allow the alliance to interfere.
The same applies to other cosmic and stellar affairs.
Based on this calculation, apart from the areas controlled by the alliance, the Spiderweb Universe Empire can forget about getting back 50 billion a year. In fact, considering these funding allocations, the central government of the empire might have to give money back to Gu Hang.
You decide what to do.
These things cannot be determined overnight.
Let's talk slowly.
The ambassador sent by the Alliance to Holy Terra is of a fairly high rank. Salihovic was previously an important figure in the Alliance's diplomatic department. As the Alliance grows larger, its most important external relations naturally lie with Holy Terra, thus requiring the most important person to assume the position of ambassador.
Gu Hang had complete confidence in Salihovic.
Putting everything else aside, this person is currently at level 8, and all the upgraded traits he has acquired are related to diplomacy, negotiation, and charisma. He is the most outstanding talent in the alliance in this regard.
Of course, as the saying goes, what you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiating table either. Salihović was just eloquent, perceptive, and likable; he could be sharp and steadfast when necessary, but he couldn't turn black into white or secure any extra benefits.
Ultimately, it's about having a well-defined plan, and having a strong support system like Gu Hang and a powerful alliance behind him to ensure Salihovic can reach his full potential.
The good news is that Salihovic can also get Gallardo's support.
With the help of a high lord, the effect was excellent.
On the one hand, it allows them to obtain information that would otherwise be impossible to obtain through normal channels. Otherwise, no matter how advanced the Alliance's intelligence agencies are, they wouldn't easily know the content discussed at the Supreme Council in such a timely manner.
There were no problems at first, but the air leaked everywhere.
On the other hand, there are some strategies that Galardore can use to speak on behalf of others in the High Council.
Let's talk about it slowly.
However, it won't take too long.
The timing for the next tax payment period has been set.
Whether or not to implement the "Alliance Plan," or to find another way, will be determined in one or two months.
Gu Hang patiently pushed the Alliance government to formulate the first two-year plan, which was followed by an eight-year plan.
The first two-year plan was to address how to handle the 800 billion that would be paid when the empire handed over its taxes for the first time two years later.
It's actually not difficult.
The current tax revenue from the Dragon Eagle Starfield, plus the fiscal surplus, is almost enough to cover this amount.
However, the pressure in the past two years has not been on taxes, but rather on taking advantage of the relatively low tax burden in the early stages to raise the level of development in other areas.