 At the start of Justinian I 's reign he had inherited a surplus 28 @,@ 800 @,@ 000 solidi ( 400 @,@ 000 pounds of gold ) in the imperial treasury from Anastasius I and Justin I. Under Justinian 's rule , measures were taken to counter corruption in the provinces and to make tax collection more efficient . Greater administrative power was given to both the leaders of the prefectures and of the provinces , while power was taken away from the vicariates of the dioceses , of which a number were abolished . The overall trend was towards a simplification of administrative infrastructure . According to Brown ( 1971 ) , the increased professionalization of tax collection did much to destroy the traditional structures of provincial life , as it weakened the autonomy of the town councils in the Greek towns . It has been estimated that before Justinian I 's reconquests the state had an annual revenue of 5 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 solidi in AD 530 , but after his reconquests , the annual revenue was increased to 6 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 solidi in AD 550 . 
