page_title: Charles Alexandre de Calonne
section_title: Measures
hierarchical_section_title: Charles Alexandre de Calonne / Measures
caption_attribution_description: Calonne - D'après un portrait de Mme Vigée-Lebrun, a participan in the necklace affair of Queen Marie Antoinette of France, 18th century
context_page_description: Charles Alexandre de Calonne, titled Count of Hannonville in 1759, was a French statesman, best known for his involvement in the French Revolution.
  Realizing that the Parlement of Paris would never agree to reform, Calonne handpicked an Assembly of Notables in 1787 to approve new taxes. When they refused, Calonne's reputation plummeted and he was forced to leave the country.
context_section_description: After taking office, he discovered the nation had debts of 110 million livres (partly incurred by France's involvement in the American Revolution) and no means of paying them. At first he tried to get credit and support the government with loans so as to maintain public confidence in its solvency. In October 1785 he reissued gold coinage and developed caisse d'escompte (dealing in cash discounts).  Knowing the Parlement of Paris would veto a single land tax that all landowners would have to pay, Calonne persuaded Louis XVI to call an assembly of notables to vote on his referendum.  Calonne's eventual reform package, which was introduced to the Assembly of Notables, consisted of five major points:
  Cut government spending
  Revive free trade methods
  Authorize the sale of Church property
  Equalize salt and tobacco taxes
  Establish a universal land value tax
  All these measures failed because of the powerlessness of the crown to impose them. 
  As a last resort, Calonne proposed that the king abolish internal customs duties and implement a property tax on nobles and clergy. Anne Robert Jacques Turgot and Jacques Necker had tried and failed to get these reforms adopted. Calonne attributed their failure to the opposition of the parlements, so he called another Assemblée des notables in February 1787. After he made a presentation to the assembly on the French deficit and its causes and dangers as he saw them, Calonne proposed the establishment of a subvention territoriale, which would be levied on all property without distinction.
caption: Charles Alexandre de Calonne (after Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun)
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