Politician Archive

Well, I don't tax and still make ends meet (well, we do have a shuttlefee).

Sales tax:0-20% (I think 20% is the high end for this tax). If you have a large merchant base, this can help to finance a city, even at low a low rate. If you don't have any vendors or very little, this tax is won't help out.

Property tax : 0-50%. This adds the the base maintenance cost of all structures in your city. This is a good way to bring in money, but if you have casual players, this could hurt them and encourage them to move, especially if you use a 50% rate. But this can be seen as a tax against the rich (since the wealthier residents are more likely to have the larger houses and extra structures)

Wealth (income) tax: 0-2000 credits. This the most equitable way to distribute the economic responsibility on all citizens. Regular players this won't hurt, but the casual player it could.

What I did was tell the residents that I wasn't going to implement any taxes as long as the donations to the city treasury stays at level to cover the next weeks mainteance. Currently, the weekly mainteance is 459k and the treasury maintains a balance to cover 3 to 6 weeks.

If you have any questions, shoot me a tell or email in game.

We've just got to township level.

Our taxes currently are 2k income tax and 10% property tax - we are still reliant (partially) on donations tho.

We'll remove the income tax as soon as we get to lvl 4 and get a shuttle port.

One question. Is the property tax for their whole account? What about all the other taxes?

oneshoot of sunrunner

I belong to a successful city on Bloodfin.Dantooine and our taxes have not changed since the first week.

Income Tax: 1500

Structure Tax: 20%

Shuttle Fee: 100

I have opted to not pursue a Sales Tax as most of my items are big ticket items and we are in an isolated area so the whole idea is to get people to the city. This tax structure, mind you from the beginning, will support a metropolis, roughly 300k/week in maintenance, at 100 citizens. In the early days we padded the treasury with donations and survived. However, once you reach that 100 citizen mark you will see the city will become self-sufficient. Our number one goal.

Keep in mind that you are never going to please everyone.

I have been blessed with the founding guild that I was a member of until my vote became a tie-breaking vote for the city council. Doubly blessed I might add from the guild that followed shortly who is also represented on the council. I am currently blessed because both guilds are full of mature individuals that understand that a player city can afford them things that their guilds can not and much less what they, solo, could do for themselves and that that costs money.

If a player balks at 2k a week then tell them to earn some money and stop begging for handouts in Coronet. By three weeks into the game I was paying 10k a week in guild dues. It wasn't always easy but the return on it was absolutely wonderful. A city is so much more than the individual and if the individual can't respect that you do not want them as a citizen anyway. It would be better to grow slowly than to afford these individuals another reason to gripe.

READ THE MANUAL or rather come to the posts because, you will soon see, "Oh what's that you say, you're not frustrated?" *imitate Yoda* You will be, you will be. READ THE FORUMS because SOE has mastered the art of obscurity and refuses to create a concrete manual that you can go to with specific questions. I have to admit the Knowledge Base, though scarce, is more bloated than it oncewas.

Now for the quick list:

1. Don't do this alone.

2. Turn Zoning ON. Turn Zoning ON. Turn Zoning ON. Did I mention? Turn Zoning On.

3. Inform your citizens of new citizens, forward the e-mail that you get when someone joins your city and include something that you know about the person...what professions are in their bio's that sort of thing.

4. Bring citizens together in a mutually beneficial manner. Crafters, PVPs, Grinders play match maker. Make your city the hub of their SWG existence.

5. Always bring new people in. Never stop.

6. Don't cheapen the experience. Make the citizen's earn their lot...if you succumb to the "I will give you a free house and free speeder" routineyou will be stuck with a smacktard. Did I mention? Turn Zoning On.

7. Your city needs different focuses...PVP Artisans Carebears Entertainment Services...Don't stick with just one keep the city vibrant.

8. Advertise by saying not shouting. You want those individuals that pay attention not the ones that you have to beat with a brick. You don't want to cheapen your experience or their experience by adding to the spam that is Coronet.

9. Choose a side. Don't think you will not suffer as a whole if you are a city with out a side in the GCW. Choose neutral, rebel, or imperial it doesn't matter but choose.

10. You are more than welcome to create a character on Bloodfin and visit Caritas. I am not saying it will be your cup of tea or that she serves as the end-all model for Player Cities but I am certain of this Phadreus will provide you with the funds to get there and then you can ask him all that you need too and actually verify the numbers and talk at length about URBAN PLANNING or in the case of Caritas the purposeful lack of urban planning in the beginning.

11. Start a list of CSRs it's a fun past time.

12. Did I mention? Turn Zoning On.

Bloodfin.Storme