Mencius outlines three state levies: fabric, grain and labor. Wise rulers impose only one and ease the rest. Dual levies cause starvation; all three tear families apart, embodying his light-tax, people-centered benevolent governance.
“I have done my best for the state,” King Hui of Liang told Mencius. ”When the crops fail west of the river, I move the people east or bring grain from the east to relieve them. If the crops are poor in the east, I do the same. When I look at the rulers…