Fiscal service today is associated with law and order. However, few people know that the ancestors of modern regulatory bodies were scammers, whom Peter the Great obliged to monitor petty officials and ordinary people. It was in those days that the word “fiscal” acquired a negative connotation and became synonymous with shedding.
Fiscals - who is this? The concept
Fiscals are people whose responsibility was to monitor the work of enterprises, organizations, as well as the observance of laws by individuals. If the fiscal found out about any violations of the law, he reported it to the Senate, which determined the punishment for the offender.
This post was established by Peter the Great in March 1714. To become a fiscal, it was necessary to have high professional qualities and an impeccable reputation. People who have ever been convicted of breaking the law were not hired.
Responsibilities and powers of fiscals
The main duty that the fiscals had to fulfill was to identify the facts of bribery, embezzlement and embezzlement by officials. They were vested with the authority to conduct inspections, interrogations, and demand reporting documents in cases of suspicion of unfair compliance with laws.
The fiscal authorities were obligatory present at tax collections on account of the state, made sure that debtors paid their obligations on time and in full. For unscrupulous performance of their duties or knowingly false denunciation, the fiscals under Peter I were prosecuted. But, as a rule, this rarely happened. The decree “On the position of fiscals” provided for forgiveness of false denunciations to fiscals, since “it is impossible for them to know everything accurately”.
Reasons for the disappearance of the post
Fiscals is a secret position that was not popular with the public. Payment for the employees of the first fiscal service was carried out exclusively at the expense of fines that were imposed on violators. Half of the fine was due to the treasury, a quarter went to local regulatory authorities, and the remaining money went to the fiscal, which carried out a denunciation.
To increase the amount of their income, fiscals did not disdain false denunciations, took bribes from suspected individuals and corrupt officials. Ultimately, Peter I found out about this and issued a decree on the creation of a new supervisory authority - the prosecutor’s office, headed by prosecutor generals. Gradually, they completely replaced the fiscals, and this post was abolished.