> It's called "Tax Farming" and also has a long and sordid past (In
Glorantha
> as well as the real world). Basically, the Tax Farmer is appointed
to a
> district, and guarantees that the appropriate amount of tax will be
> forthcoming - out of his own pocket if necessary. To ensure that
the Farmer
> does *not* face out of pocket expenses, he is allowed to tax the
people of
> the district at whatever rate he chooses. Smart tax farmers aren't
> excessively greedy (they *are* greedy, make no mistake, just not
> *excessively* greedy!) - they skim off a comfortable living but
don't tax
> the peasants so much that they get rebellious (or die... death of
your tax
> base is no excuse not to fill the Imperial Coffers!).
Of course. I've been musing about how tax farming actually functions in Dragon Pass and who actually does it. I think it is driven less by administrative needs and more by the willingness of various tax farmers to front the Governor-General the needed coin. I'm imagining a number of well-connected Leagues (under Euglyptus and Tatius) and Tarshite merchantile groups (under Fazzur) making annual bids for the tax farming rights. Frex, in 1611, XXXX from the YYYY League offered Euglyptus the Fat 35,000 lunars for the tax farming rights in Sartar. XXXX subcontracts the work out to various tax farmers and then turns around and sells the in-kind proceeds to the soldiers at an inflated price (30 lunars a cow, not 20).
These tax farmers and merchants end up with a strong vested interest in the Lunar Occupation and were threatened with financial ruin by Starbrow's Rebellion. They front Fazzur Wideread a huge amount of money (to be repaid with additional tribute and support from the Provincial Government) and form one of the pillars of his administration (intelligence and money).
So who are these military financiers who also dominate the Etyries trade in Dragon Pass? I assume that most of them are Tarshites and other wealthy provincials (at least under Fazzur's rule). IMG, Andrega Silverflame should be tight with at least one important miliary financier. Any suggestions as to the identities of these folk?
Jeff
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