FROM THE DESK OF THE SECRETARY FOR THE FINANCES
4 OCTOBER 307AC
4 OCTOBER 307AC
To the Citizens of the Great Empire of Regalia,
I raise my pen with heavy heart as I begin to write my third edict. I frequently deliberate on my actions, as any minister should, and oftentimes find myself questioning the reason I applied to become a Secretary to the State. It is a risk that one takes, a fight with no end, and often with little in return but the recognition of one's peers. The gathering of the many wills of the people is no easy task, and with each sway of the ship, water reaches the deck. Certainly, it would be easiest to abandon post and risk the tides to swim to shore, so that one may shout at the boatswain of the many ways in which the ship may yet be saved.
But then, I think of those beneath the deck of that ship. Countless men working hard to brave the storms, given little choice but to keep rowing and toiling through the tides. Today, I was reminded of a small business owner, who wrote a letter to me indirectly. In it, she spoke her praises for allowing her to support the effort in the war. It was a small act, but one that warmed my heart and renewed my spirit. The words humbled me, even as a Duchess, for I saw them as an example of the faith and determination that exists in the people, and that which I, a member of the peerage should ever strive to live up to.
As I end the statement with which I often precede my acts, I am reminded of an age-old Anglian adage, and one I learned upon first stepping foot on the docks of Zuiderpoort.
"De beste stuurlui staan aan land."
Act One: On the Taxation of Aristocrats
It has come to the attention of the State that certain Aristocrats have perceived fault in an earlier edict of the Secretary for the Finances. In their perception, and without request for confirmation from the state, these aristocratic houses have chosen to embargo the House Tyrannian, citing the actions of the previous Secretary as a repeating instance of a past occurrence where the Secretary for the Finances attempted to enforce taxation upon the aristocracy and punishing the House Tyrannian for the acts of the Secretary in order to pressure the State into reviewing its stance.
The State finds it curious that aristocratic houses who have never been prosecuted by the State for the tax they are allegedly forcibly suffering from are those main actors to the current embargo placed upon the House Tyrannian. The Secretary has instructed the Bureau to begin investigating the matter as of this edict to see whether ulterior malicious intent was involved. As this investigation will target the aristocrats who maintain this embargo for damages to the state as a result of the House Tyrannian being unable to pays its taxes, the State bids the aristocrats to cease these actions in favor of written protest to the state and this office.
With respect to those who have been misguided by the aforementioned actions, the Secretary for the Finances has chosen to clarify on earlier edicts. Taxes on the Aristocracy in the Regalian Empire are not enforced. No law concerning this obligation was ever passed by the Regalian State, and the Secretary for the Finances has no power to enact law in such a tyrannical manner. The idea that such a policy could justifiably be passed as law is not one entertained by the state, which has and for the foreseeable future seeks to uphold a general free trade policy within Regalia under the understanding that its protectionist policies only apply to foreign trade and not those fiefs that dutifully pay taxes to the Empire and those within these fiefs.
Families among the aristocracy who have chosen to pay taxes are doing so in good faith, in contrast to the peerage who are legally obligated to pay taxes by Regalian Law. This is further evidenced by the fact that no Aristocrat has been legally prosecuted or approached during the tenure of the Secretary for the Finances. The Tenpenny tax does apply to all citizens of Regalia, regardless of status, and stands as the only tax enforced on Aristocracy for the foreseeable future.
Act Two: On sanctions imposed on the Vicii Republic and the County of Coivra.
The Secretary for the Finances has taken notice of the recent rise in dye prices and has seen it fit to impose tariffs on all dyes exported by the Vicii Republic and the County of Coivra and for the foreseeable future. Written plainly, the state sees no reason why these provinces, who currently have a negative credit standing with the state, should profit from the current policies around trade which grant the merchants of Regalia the ability to trade in relative freedom and without such sanctions.
These tariffs serve as a sanction and consequence to the act of not paying taxes for the County of Coivra and the Vicii Republic, and come as a result of their own choices not to contribute as per their obligation to the State. Further sanctions enforcing this policy are to follow with the next edicts and toward those who as of yet do not meet their obligations.
Until such a time as the obligations to the state by these entities has been reconciled, the tariffs sanctioned remain. The tariffs upon the Vicii Republic were to stay in place, but have been lifted after a meeting with the Iron Duke of the Vultarin Hegemony on behalf of the Vicii Republic proved to be productive to the State and the Duke. The state welcomed the complaint, petitioned in writing by the Iron Duke and through the proper channels, and in cooperation with the Lord Chancellor, the Secretary for the Finances has solved what was indeed a simple diplomatic disagreement that had escalated. The state bids that any who would choose to follow the Iron Duke's example in reconciling with the State do so to protect their own rights to the stability afforded by the state.
Furthermore,
in response to the actions of the Anahera Cabal, who have done the opposite of seeking to reconcile with the state, and have chosen to instead sow dissent with a clear motive of protecting their own interests at a cost to the state nearly violating the safety of its existence, the Secretary has chosen to invoke its right to enact a national embargo upon all ships trading from the ports of Cazores, Occiboa, Bragalacao, San Selen, San Alejandro and Parmalucia, as well as imposing tariffs on Livestock exported from these provinces by land.
These new, and much more reasonable sanctions will remain until such a time as the Anahera and the County of Coivra pay what it is owed to the state. This includes the obligation of 40% split between the taxes to the state and the taxes that are currently imposed in order to support the war on the Kathar, and the 278,400 regals of unpaid fines accumulated by these entities under the state's tax reform. The information relevant to the calculation of this amount, as well as a redacted form of the Imperial ledger showing the contribution of the Anahera and the County of Coivra have been released as of this decree.
Act Three: On the Officiation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue Enumeration
The Bureau of Internal Revenue Enumeration has been ratified as a charter under the state as of the 24th of September. This act, supported by the Lord Chancellor allows the newly founded Bureau to operate in full as a charter that enforces the taxes of Regalia. The Bureau will be headed by Ser Dante Tyrannian, with Mister Aldus Tarken acting as the Chief of Legal Enforcement and Ser Axelric Ruyter acting as the Chief of Tax Enforcement.
Those who wish to join the Bureau are bid to write a letter to its new Director instead of the Secretary as of this edict. An informative piece on the Bureau's tasks and further responsibilities has been released by the Director earlier in this week.
Act Four: On the Relief effort of the Southlands Plague
As of the publishing of this edict, the last of the efforts of the state to subdue the effects of the plague are taking place. To the State's knowledge, the spread of the plague has been quelled, lowering its status from a potential epidemic to a more docile sickness. The plague in question has been identified as a simple bout of an influenza foreign to the lands of Regalia, spread by merchantry vessels from the Farah'deen states and without ill intent.
The State would like to give thanks to the Houses du Brierüst, Black, Tyrannian and Yaotl for their contributions in financing the endeavors and lending their aid.
The State would also like to thank the Shademarsh Colony and the Soor-Al-Rassa for their noble devotion to the treatment of the sick and the selfless acts that led to the successful quarantines in the regions of Port Ouronne, Tarinarra, Ragulia, Venetinez, Lorhauser and Valentino where they were established.
Lastly, the State would thank the Duchess Black for lending her medical expertise, and the Miss Winifred Marth and Miss Nathalia Braam for their alchemical insights.
All official acts of this decree are hereby stated for the public record.
Reviewed and officiated by the Secretary for the Finances, Duchess Catherine Tyrannian
Reviewed and officiated by the Secretary for the Finances, Duchess Catherine Tyrannian
