The Second Section of the Salt Tax

The major reform on the table was the abolition of all internal costums barriers. It would make internal trade far more efficient and create a single border tax to help regulate international trade, hopefully with an eye on stimulating french manufacturing. Resisting these completely reasonable reforms were representatives from lorraine and alzace frontier provinces who couldn't care less about trading with their countrymen but cared deeply about maintaining free trade with neighboring foreign powers. Then there was the question of the salt tax,. Obviously, the tearing down of internal custums checkpoints would make different salt prices for different regions untenable. But that would leave 60 million livres annually to be made up - so calogne offered a fairly lame