Note 96 — Chapter I · : THE PHYSIOCRATS
R. (Robert) Richards translation
If we compare this figure with the total gross revenue of France, valued then at 5 milliard francs, it would represent a tax of 12 per cent., which is rather heavy for a State that was supposed to be governed by the laws of the “natural order.” The proportion which the present French Budget bears to the total revenue of the country is 16 per cent.
The French Budget of 1781, introduced by Necker, corresponded almost exactly with the figure given by the Physiocrats, namely, 610 millions. Of course, we ought to add to this the ecclesiastical dues, the seigniorial rights, and the compulsory labour of every kind, which were to disappear under the Physiocratic régime.