Taxes, the Imperium, and You!

[MarcusIII]

An idea I've toyed with is that if a ship is heading off to areas less well presented by her bank the said bank sends their own representative along for all/part of the voyage.
Also, I could see the Starport Authority acting as agents for the various banks on backwater systems.

No, banks aren't going to invest human capital like that. There are thousands of ships running around with mortgages. It isn't a matter of having bank agents at a star port but having up to date account info on every person at every star port. That is the problem. So you have to set up a scheme around the X-Boat/courier boats that propagates this info ahead of the ship in question. That way any law enforcement can be notified at the ports

 

[mavikfelna]

I think a lot of taxes and taxing related issues are subsumed in the various fees and mortgages the players deal with. Having some explicit taxes, like a tarrif on sales at a different world than that of origin are easier to handle and probably ok.

 

[MarcusIII]

I think a lot of taxes and taxing related issues are subsumed in the various fees and mortgages the players deal with. Having some explicit taxes, like a tarrif on sales at a different world than that of origin are easier to handle and probably ok.

Yes, I doubt the 3I dabbles in individual income tax. Import duties and sales taxes are much cheaper to administer on a massive scale and easier to enforce.

 

[Arkathan]

I checked this out. It's no joke.

https://www.quiverquant.com/

Yeah, I wasn't using hyperbole in the slightest.

 

[Condottiere]

You could think of the mortgage of your Free Trader as a fungible token.

You get to utilize it, temporarily, but the block chain identifies the owner as the bank,

 

[MarcusIII]

You could think of the mortgage of your Free Trader as a fungible token.

You get to utilize it, temporarily, but the block chain identifies the owner as the bank,

The records in all the 3I records offices already do that. When you pay it off that record goes out via the X-Boat N/W outrunning the ship

 

[Condottiere]

But, these records are permanent, and can't be altered, without getting detected, and corrected, on the next update.

And would include the former, and current, serial numbers of the spacecraft's primary components.

 

[MarcusIII]

But, these records are permanent, and can't be altered, without getting detected, and corrected, on the next update.

And would include the former, and current, serial numbers of the spacecraft's primary components.

exactly. Hence the use of the X-Boat system with new encrypted records when they change

 

[Condottiere]

But, the token is expressed in pixel format.

 

[tytalan]

The Imperium taxes worlds based on the specifics outlined at the time of its induction into Imperial membership. It is the responsibility of the world government to see that the taxes are collected and paid in whatever means it chooses - that is a matter for local affairs, and the Imperial Noble overseeing the world sees to it (via oversight of local and/or Regional Branches of Imperial Ministries) that they are in order and channeled into the Treasury via the Finance Ministry.

Taxation of interworld trade occurs as well, of course, but that is interworld commerce (also overseen by Imperial Nobility via Imperial Ministries).

The Imperium "ruling the space between the worlds" is a euphemism - the Imperium is not (and never has been) described as a Confederation. The phrase simply means that it doesn't rule the worlds directly and can't be bothered to deal with governing at such a minor level - it leaves that detail to local concerns. But those concerns most certainly are in subjection to Imperial interests and authority; otherwise, the Imperium does not rule at all save by mutual consent - and that is not a superintending government, let alone and Empire.

The Imperium does not interfere in local interests, government or culture as long as they do not conflict with Imperial interests. When they do, the policies pursued by the Imperium to correct the issue may vary depending upon the local situation after "discussion" with local Imperial Nobility and other relevant officials - the Imperium has at times been more subtle and patient (i.e. devious) in response, or "Kerrian" as Cleon Zhunastu and Zuan Kerr originally envisioned, and at other times more "Artemsian" like the Lentuli Dynasty and it's iron fist.

This plus there’s a reason why every system has but 1 starport and 1 associated highport. Any time a ship brings cargo or personnel into a system the ship has to stop at the Starport or Highport and pay docking fees. All cargo has to go though the ports and there is a handling fee. Renting housing or business space in the ports part of the money goes into the imperial coffers. There are dozens of small unnoticed fees that are paid every day and all of that beyond what’s needed to maintain the Starport/Highport goes to the imperial coffers. Even building or expanding these ports is a form of tax since the member world has to pay for this but it’s considered imperial land and independent of the supporting worlds. If you think about it if the imperium collects just a little from every Trade item or Passage that adds up quickly and people don’t think about it. Ever buy a candy bar in a Airport vending machine you pay a premium, yes the vender get their share but he has to pay a premium in order to have that prime space which he passes on to his customers.

Licensing is also a big source of the imperiums income. You want to build starships you need a license for that. You want to run a mercenary company you need a license for that. Be a bounty hunter another license.

On top of charging the member worlds there are a thousand different hidden ways that the imperium collects income.

 

[tytalan]

• Nobles can rent and tax the lands under their purview (but they only get relatively small estates, rather than entire planets).
• The peerage can tax the Imperial citizens under their purview. Purview means "...The extent or range of activity, function, power, or competence; scope. synonym: range." Does this mean the citizens who live or do business on their personal estates? On the planets they oversee? Again, too vague to be helpful.

I always figured that all this references the systems Starport and Highport. You rent store fount you pay rent set by the planets noble, every citizen that lives or has a business in under the authority of the system’s noble.

 

[WHULorigan]

Funny how the Jump constraint makes it so carrying cash is almost necessary, and vagaries around mortgages make it so paying anywhere works, but getting into arrears takes months for the mortgage company to detect it and come after you. It's not suspicious to carry cash.

It's not even practical to trace cash unless it's newly printed and suddenly missing from a bank!

And doubly-funny how the avatar of the person posting this is pixelated out for anonymity . . .

 

[actionman]

Yes, I doubt the 3I dabbles in individual income tax. Import duties and sales taxes are much cheaper to administer on a massive scale and easier to enforce.

IMO the planetary governments levy individual income tax if they want.

 

[WHULorigan]

IMO the planetary governments levy individual income tax if they want.

Individual worlds are a thing unto themselves. They can do whatever they want, based on their UWP and other descriptions.

Now if the Imperium taxes their member worlds directly in some fashion, how those member worlds pass those taxes along to the citizenry in order to raise the revenue will vary from place to place and government type to government type.

 

[Nadia Grell]

I always count as part of the fees for trade and passengers are taxes, as are the docking fees.
Hence, the players pay tax in systems but never have to do any calculations.

 

[phavoc]

Personally I've always avoided the taxation / fee on trade (unless it's part of the scenario where they are getting hit with extra fees as part of the normal efforts of a GM to help PC's shed excess credits in their possession...). If you go down that path then they can start claiming ship expenses over the year, and if they are short they file their taxes with the Imperial government and they are owed a refund/credit.

And we all know that Imperial tax rules allow for a 3yr carry-forward of losses, thus enterprising PC's books will always show trading losses (the credits they get for rescuing princesses and overthrowing corrupt planetary governments are always paid in cash and not claimed on taxes). I've thought about sending an Imperial Revenue cruiser after them, but that seems inordinately cruel to me.

So I just let it all slide.

 

[Sigtrygg]

The world government pays taxes to the Imperium, how they raise that money is up to them - could be interesting on a balkanised world...

the Imperium also raises taxes or tariffs from interstellar trade conducted at every starport - and no one is allowed to avoid the starport for interstellar trade

are nobles taxed?

is PC trade taxed at all, or is it part of the black economy?

 

[MarcusIII]

IMO the planetary governments levy individual income tax if they want.

Yes, they would be all over the map with that as they are with local gov't type.

 

[MarcusIII]

I always count as part of the fees for trade and passengers are taxes, as are the docking fees.
Hence, the players pay tax in systems but never have to do any calculations.

Yes, for instance real freighters or their owners aren't charged an income tax by the countries they deliver to or ship goods from. The country has import duties and port fees

 

[Condottiere]

I doubt you can finance an empire on port fees.

Part, but probably not all, of the Imperium defence budget, comes from mandatory contributions from planetary budgets.