but failed. Colbert's economic efforts and Colbertism The simplified objectives of mercantilism in terms of Colbertism were to improve the structure of taxes in the fiscal administration, or in the burden of taxes can enhance the nation’s wealth, and of all the devices for increasing royal revenues in the king’s fiscal arsenal the best is to improve trade and industry. Changes to taxes Colbert immediately struck back at the financiers and tax farmers who had made enormous profits from loans and advances to the state treasury, by holding tribunals to make them give back some of their gains. Colbert focused his efforts next on reforming the system of taxation. At the time, the King derived the major part of his revenue from a tax called the taille, levied in some districts on individuals and in other districts on land and businesses. The taille was not a rate on income or production but what the French call an impôt de reparation, which means its global sum was fixed in advance of the fiscal year by the royal council, which directed its officials to compensate for lower revenues in one district by higher revenues in another. However, in some districts the taille was apportioned and collected by royal officials, essentially meaning it was voted by the representatives of the district. The Crown in the 16th century realized that revenues from its indirect taxes would rise and fall in response to prosperity and depression, but such fluctuations were resisted as much as possible by the system of farming these indirect taxes, which kept the bid prices as high and as stable as possible. At the same time, some clergy and nobles were exempt from the taxes altogether. Colbert sought to make the tax less oppressive by levying the taille on all who should be taxed, and started a review of titles of nobility to discover and expose those falsely claiming exemption. These reforms in combination with the close supervision of the officials concerned brought large sums into the treasury. Changes to the tariff system He also changed the tariff system, as revised in 1664 as part of a system of protection. However, during the Renaissance in internal traits foraines were applied not only to additional commodities but also to additional provinces. Renaissance kings strongly resisted the efforts of tax farmers to unify the administration of these taxes which gave justification that when associations