Taxation and Tariffs
Taxation in Europa varies widely from country to country (Montaigne, for instance, tends to be looser in its taxes laws than, say, Ruskovich,) but there are some general commonalities.
Property Taxes - Every nation levies taxes on property owners, in one form or another. Ruskovich might use a more stratified feudal system, where villagers pay the village headman, the village headmen pay the domain’s nobles, etc., while Eisen has a more egalitarian national tax system.
Tariffs - (Almost) anyone moving goods in Europa, especially across country lines, has to pay import/export taxes. Even merchant ships sailing in international waters have to pay certain fees to various pirate organizations to sail safely through their protectorate (the merchants might call it a ‘protection racket,’ but ‘poh-TAY-toh, poh-TAH-toh.’) Ruskovich and Avalon waive trade tariffs for their country’s nobility for trade inside their countries’ individual borders (something the merchant class in both countries STRONGLY object to,) but anyone moving large orders of goods between countries will have to pay SOME tariffs on top of their shipping expenses.
Levied Taxes - Every country has miscellaneous taxes levied by the national or local government, for a wide variety of reasons. Eisen adopts a more formalized, codified income tax, while the great families of Vesten just tend to place out a general call for aid when a need arises, and those who can pitch in. Some countries will adjust these depending on the situation (or whims of the nobility,) but in general, in the more modern and cosmopolitan countries, these taxes are more structured, and codified in law by parliamentary governments.
*Important Note: Generally, characters do not have to worry about paying taxes in character; the vast majority of these are just folded into the overall Lifestyle Expenses rules and do not require the IC spending of more silver/gold than their chosen Lifestyle requires. However, it might come up in certain story situations, or if the PCs become heavily involved in mercantile trade.
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