In ancient China's feudal society, taxes were the main source of national finance and an important burden for farmers. At the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, in order to stabilize the political power and restore the social economy after the war, the Qing government implemented a series of policies to reduce the burden on the people, the most famous of which was the commitment of "never increasing taxes". However, this policy did not last long. By the Yongzheng period, with the strengthening of national power and the increase in financial demand, this commitment was eventually broken.

The core of the "never increasing taxes" policy was to fix the amount of land taxes and no longer increase taxes as land increased. This policy can be traced back to the Shunzhi period. At that time, in order to stabilize the people's hearts and consolidate rule, the Qing government announced the decision of "never increasing taxes". The implementation of this policy did reduce the burden on farmers to some extent and promoted the recovery and development of agricultural production.

However, over time, the territory of the Qing Dynasty continued to expand, the population grew rapidly, and the country's demand for fiscal revenue continued to increase. Especially in the later years of Kangxi, due to consecutive wars and disasters, the national treasury began to run out. By the Yongzheng period, in order to make up for the fiscal deficit and ensure the normal operation of the country, Emperor Yongzheng had to take a series of measures to increase fiscal revenue, including adjustments to land taxes.

The financial reforms of the Yongzheng period mainly included the implementation of the Tan Ding Ru Mu system, which changed the original tax on household members to be taxed based on land area and merged it into land taxes. This reform was actually an adjustment to the "never increasing taxes" policy. Although it did not directly increase the tax rate on land taxes, it indirectly increased the tax burden on farmers by merging tax categories. In addition, Yongzheng also implemented a strict financial supervision system, strengthened supervision of local officials, reduced corruption, and improved tax efficiency.

Although Emperor Yongzheng's reforms increased the fiscal revenue of the Qing Dynasty to some extent, they also caused some social conflicts. Farmers were dissatisfied with the increase in tax burden, while local officials complained bitterly because they were subject to stricter supervision. These conflicts affected social stability to some extent.

In summary, the "never increasing taxes" policy of the Qing Dynasty played a positive role in stabilizing the political power and restoring the economy in its early stage. However, as the national situation changed, this policy gradually exposed its unsustainability. By the Yongzheng period, in order to cope with the growing financial demand, the Qing government had to adjust the original tax policies, marking the end of the "never increasing taxes" policy. This period of history not only reflects the changes in the fiscal policies of the Qing Dynasty, but also reflects some laws of ancient Chinese social and economic development.

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