Chapter 25 Funding Crisis
The week Arthur set aside was not only to give these newly elected cabinet members some time to familiarize themselves with their positions, but also to give them time to get in touch with and gain an in-depth understanding of data on all aspects of the country.
Among the eleven cabinet members, except for the original six governors, although the others also have official backgrounds, they do not have access to the data and information across Australia, and naturally they do not understand it very clearly.
Under such circumstances, if they were asked to immediately devote themselves to the work of the cabinet, they would be like flies.
Therefore, it is better to give them a period of understanding and adaptation time, so that the cabinet government can work better.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the cabinet meeting that Arthur mentioned.
The cabinet members were also very obedient. They had resigned from their jobs even before today.
It's just that because the state house elections in each state are different, the governor's position in each state must be temporarily held concurrently.
The familiar government building and familiar conference room, but the number of people conducting the meeting has dropped sharply from 199 to 12.
Sitting in the center, Arthur looked at the expectant crowd and said with a smile: "Everyone, I believe that after a week of getting to know you, you have already understood the basic situation in Australia. Now, we can officially start The discussion on Australia's development plan has allowed this country to officially begin its rise." "
Let's talk about the status of each department and your ideas first. Everyone can speak freely. As long as they are ideas that are beneficial to the development of the country, everyone can put forward and discuss them together. ." Arthur said with a smile.
Although Arthur has the soul of a time traveler, he can basically make no mistakes in grasping the general direction of the country's development.
But as the saying goes, when everyone adds fuel to the fire, those who can be elected as cabinet members are more or less capable, and some of the opinions put forward may not have been thought of by Arthur.
"Let's talk about the Ministry of Finance first. What is the current financial situation of our country? How much available funds are left in the country?" Arthur looked at Treasury Secretary Roger Joseph Ebert and asked aloud.
As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses move, food and grass go first. The same is true for national development. Before formulating various development plans, it is very necessary to ensure that the country has sufficient development funds.
Without sufficient funds, developing a country will ultimately be just empty talk.
"Your Highness, it's not very ideal. Although after the original six colonies are integrated into one country, our economy and various industries will also see a certain growth. But for now, the government's funds are relatively lacking, and it can only To maintain the operation of the government." Roger Joseph Ebert shook his head and said with regret.
After all, Australia's integration time is too short. Although various economies have shown development trends, it is impossible to obtain more fiscal revenue in less than a few years.
What's more, Arthur had previously reduced a large amount of taxes for Australians, which directly led to a reduction in the Australian government's revenue.
"How much money are there on the books now?" Arthur asked with a frown.
After the colonial reform, the original tax collection and development of each state was changed to the state's tax collection, most of which was handed over to the government and a small amount was used for its own use. However, the tax has only been collected once so far, and because of Arthur's substantial tax reduction, the government's tax revenue is only over one million pounds.
Including other revenues, the current total revenue of the Australian government is less than 3 million pounds. After deducting various expenditures, the government's available funds are less than 2 million pounds.
"Your Highness, after deducting all expenditures, the government's available funds are just over 1.9 million pounds," Minister Roger Joseph Ebert said.
There is still so much money because the previous Australian interim government did nothing at all, so the expenditure was only to pay the salaries of government personnel.
However, funds of less than 2 million pounds are undoubtedly a drop in the bucket for the development of the entire Australia. It is even like sinking into the sea, unable to make any waves.
Everyone was in an uproar when they heard Secretary Roger Joseph Ebert say this.
While everyone was thinking about their department's plans, Secretary Roger Joseph Ebert's words undoubtedly poured cold water on everyone and directly destroyed the plans that had not yet been born in their minds.
"Minister Roger, is this true? If the government only has such a small amount of development funds, it won't even be enough to purchase equipment." Prime Minister Evan was the most surprised. During his tenure as Prime Minister of New South Wales, New South Wales spent more money every year. How come the integrated government funds don’t even have two million pounds?
"Of course it is true. According to our tax policy, if you want to receive income again, you have to wait until October of this year." Roger Joseph Ebert nodded.
Everyone turned their attention to Arthur. After all, one of the main reasons why the Australian government is short of funds is because Arthur has significantly reduced taxes.
Now everyone's idea is very simple. Since the government is in trouble, it is up to Arthur, the ruler, to find a solution.
"Okay, let's do it! In the name of the royal family, I will lend the government an interest-free loan of 100 million pounds, and then provide the government with a loan of 50 million pounds of industrial equipment at market prices. In this case, the government does not need to purchase industrial equipment at high prices from Europe. , and there will be sufficient funds for development." Arthur made a final decision, ending the awkwardness of the meeting.
Seeing that the government had funds and that their plans were expected to be realized, everyone became motivated and tried to share more funds.
"Industry is the top priority, let's talk about the plans of the Ministry of Industry first." Arthur named Pierre Silvio Berlusconi.
Minister Pierre Silvio Berlusconi did not show any stage fright. He stood up and said: "Your Highness, our country's industrial development is currently very backward. Whether it is basic industry or advanced technological industry, our country is very scarce. We My suggestion is to focus on developing basic industries at present. Relying on the minerals in western China, we can build a large-scale industrial base. After our basic industries are developed, it will not be too late to find ways to study advanced technological industries." Australia is
currently To put it bluntly, the foundation is too weak, and you can't become fat even if you eat one bite.
Only when Australia's relatively basic facilities and industries are fully constructed can we concentrate on researching more advanced technologies and industries and catch up with European countries.
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(End of chapter)