This article aims to analyze one aspect of the financial revolution, the tax reforms of the modern state. A comparative study on the taxation in England and in France shows us three points as follows: First, the pattern of tax increase was different between England and France. Tax revenues of England made explosive and steady growth since the Restoration. On the contrary, those of France continued to fluctuate throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Second, the tax reform in England should be reviewed. In spite of the abolition of tax farming and the centralization of taxation, the tax administration was far from the public finance. The notorious private interest prevailed tenaciously over the finance of England. On the other hand, France found a way to enhance the fiscal efficiency by institutionalizing the pursuit of private interests of the financiers and by ensuring the short term loan from them. Third, the different paths of the two states resulted not only from the presence of the parliament but also from the war. England, saved from the continental wars, didn’t suffer from the financial pressure that ruined the royal treasury of France and forced her to sell the offices. Thus, France couldn’t liquidate financiers who took the reins of government through the venality, while England pursued the tax reforms abolishing the tax farming and establishing the control of the tax revenue.
Cet article vise a analyser un aspect de la revolution financiere, les reformes fiscales de l’Etat moderne. Une etude comparative sur la fiscalite en Angleterre et en France nous montre trois points comme suit: Premierement, les modeles de la croissance d’impot de deux pays etaient differents l’un de l’autre. En Angleterre, les recettes fiscales ont fait de la croissance explosive et reguliere depuis la Restoration. Au contraire, en France, elles ont continue a fluctuer tout au long du 17eme et du 18eme siecles. Deuxiemement, la reforme fiscale en Angleterre doit etre reexaminee. Malgre la supression de la ferme d’impot et la centralisation des fiscalites, l’administration fiscale a ete loin d’etre les finances publiques. Les interets prives regnaient avec tenacite sur les finances en Angleterre. D’autre part, la France a trouve un moyen d’accroitre les recettes, en approuvant la poursuite de l’interet prive des financiers et en assurant les prets a court terme de leur part. Troisiemement, les differents chemins de deux Etats resultaient non seulement de la presence du Parlement en Angleterre, mais aussi de la guerre. L’Angleterre, eloignee des guerres continentales, n’a pas souffert de la difficulte financiere qui a ruine le tresor royal de France et qui l’a contrainte a vendre les offices. De ce fait, la France n’a pas pu liquider les financiers qui ont pris les renes du gouvernement a travers la venalite, tandis que l’Angleterre a poursuivi les reformes fiscales, en supprimant la ferme d’impot et en etablissant le controle des recettes fiscales.