Starting from the Planetary Governor-Chapter 835 - 458, How Dare You?

Lalin Ulrich's expression was quite grim.

As a Planetary Governor, and especially as the governor of a small, poor planet like Eagle Horse III, he hardly mattered in the grand politics of the entire Empire and the Star Sea. Anyone could trample on him.

But after all, he was a Planetary Governor.

Ordinarily, he didn't often deal with the political structure beyond his planet—except for the Imperial Tax collection every two years.

At other times, he was the 'Emperor' of his planet, the kind whose word was law.

He rarely encountered someone who would speak to him without courtesy, in a tone tinged with threats.

Thus, his displeased expression.

However, displeased as he might be, as angry as he felt, if he really had to firmly say "no", he still didn't dare.

The fate of the Star Zone Leader of the Purple Horse Sector, the Governor of Baishuo Star, was still vivid in his mind.

He still clearly remembered the might of the Alliance Army during the ongoing Beastman War.

How could he dare show displeasure?

But to accept these terms, he felt somewhat unwilling.

Unlike the Seven Horse Treaty, which retained some independence and was an alliance-type treaty, if he signed this current confederation bill, it wasn't joining the Alliance, but it was almost as good.

The economic lifeline would be completely controlled by the Alliance, and political power would also expand as the Alliance's economic influence over the planet expanded, and it wouldn't be long before the Alliance's system could entirely replace the duties of the original Planetary Government.

Objectively speaking, this wasn't bad for the people on the planet.

At least for the poor on Eagle Horse III, that was the case.

The 'Tax Currency' set by the Empire wasn't set arbitrarily. Normally, a per capita output of 1 tax currency also indicated reaching the Imperial standard level. On this basis, paying 0.1 in tax, the Planetary Government taking another 0.1, the remaining 0.8 was enough for a commoner to live a pretty good life.

That wasn't just about subsistence; it was even a bit better than being moderately well-off.

Yet, this was always just the ideal state.

The Empire Government did indeed only take 0.1, but didn't the cost of taxation collection count for something?

Would the Planetary Government honestly keep the tax rate at 10%?

Corruption in government or similar government-like institutions, or let's say normal administrative costs, poor collection efficiency, weren't all these additional expenditures?

A per capita output of 1 tax currency didn't mean every individual could have this income. The disparity between rich and poor existed in any society, of course; the wealthy definitely earned far more than this, while the poor likely far less.

Moreover, a per capita output of 1 tax currency, many planets couldn't reach it.

Eagle Horse III didn't reach it, even before the war, it was only about 0.9 at best.

On the planet, a normal worker, whether a farmer or a miner, could usually spend about 0.4 per year for themselves, which barely reached the subsistence level; if poorer, then they simply couldn't even get enough to eat, living day to day.

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For these ordinary people on the planet, their lives would improve with the Alliance coming.

Ulrich knew exactly what the living standard of an Alliance commoner was like, the lowest level, as long as one had any job, whatever it might be, could reach a minimum of E5 level.

And the lifestyle of an E5 level person, their annual consumption could at least reach 0.4 tax currency.

This could reach the subsistence level, no worse than the formal workers on Eagle Horse III. Moreover, under the Alliance system, eliminating unemployment was a fairly simple and swift affair, which also meant, quite a number of the lower layers, those without formal employment, would benefit from this. They would become strong supporters of the Alliance.

And those with formal jobs, even if their job level did not increase, their standard of living would at least remain the same.

And it might even surpass it.

This also brought up what the Alliance's job levels really meant for an ordinary person.

After obtaining a rank within the Alliance, each person's annual income was composed of two parts: welfare and allowances.

Welfare was divided into basic social welfare and personal welfare. The former included basic medical and educational guarantees, which were foundational to the establishment of the Alliance.

The former, although the Alliance wouldn't provide resources guaranteed to cure everything, at least basic guarantees were available; treating headaches and fevers, preventing conditions from worsening was beneficial. Even if one contracted an incurable disease, enough painkillers were provided to make one's final journey a bit more comfortable.

This was already quite impressive, as a significant portion of the poor, regardless of their illness, wouldn't expect to receive treatment. But under the Alliance, these basic medical guarantees were free for all.

And the latter, educational guarantees, were even more progressive. The Alliance particularly emphasized educational equality—although it couldn't truly reach an ideal state of fairness, after all, how could one expect people on Eagle Horse III to obtain the same educational resources as those on Flying Wing Star?

But at least, the system tried to guarantee fairness as much as possible. Six years of primary education were mandatory and free; all children had to participate and were assigned to schools nearby. Afterwards, came four years of secondary education, which weren't mandatory, and tuition fees were required. As long as one's primary educational exam scores reached a certain level, they could advance; top students had their fees waived; even more exceptional ones received scholarships.