Page:Nikolai Bukharin - Programme of the World Revolution (1920).djvu/71

 an excellent measure. The Government declares that up to a certain date all money must be exchanged for new, and that the old money has lost its value. That means that everybody must empty his boxes and jars and cupboards and bring his hoard to the hank to be exchanged. And here the following system should he carried out; the savings of poor people must be untouched, a new rouble being paid for every old one; but beginning with a certain sum a part must be deducted for the benefit of the State. And the larger the amount of money saved up, the greater will be the sum retained. Let us propose the following scheme: up to 5000 the exchange is to be a rouble for a rouble; of the following 5000 a tenth part is deducted; from the third 5000 a seventh part; from the fourth a fourth part; from the fifth a half; from the sixth three-quarters; and beginning with a definite sum, the whole is confiscated.

Thus the power of the rich would be considerably undermined, additional means for the needs of the Workers' State would be obtained, and everybody would be more or less equalised with regard to income.

In a time of revolution the imposition of contributions on the bourgeoisie is justifiable. It is certainly not at all advisable for one local Soviet to tax the bourgeoisie according to one system, whilst the other does so in accordance with another system, and a third according to a third. This would be as bad as it there were varying forms of levying taxes in a given locality.

We must strive towards a uniform system of taxation, suit- able for the whole Soviet Eepublic. But if in the meantime we have not been able to build up such machinery, contributions are admissible. There is a Russian proverb which says : " When you can't get fish, a lobster will do." We must bear in mind that the duty ojt^fe party and of the Soviets, as well as that of the working class and the poorest peasantry, consists in uniting and centralising on one definite plan, the collection of taxes, thereby systematically driving the bourgeoisie out of their economic stronghold.

We must, however, note that the more successful the organisation of production on new labour principles, the more will the importance of money decrease. Formerly, when private enterprises were the dominating institution, these private enterprises sold their goods to one another. The tendency now is for various branches of industry to unite and become different departments of general social production. Products may be