>I disagree. For example, Roman censors found that accurate census
>taking in their provinces was a difficult task at best. To ease the
>strain, taxes were assessed as a tithe on entire communities rather
>than on individuals. Tax assessments in these communities fell under
>the jurisdiction of Provincial governors and various local
>magistrates.
>
>The Lunar provinces have nothing that even remotely compares to even
>a local county assessor's office. Euglytpus probably has a small
>staff that handles the logistics of the Army of Occupation -
>probably just an extension of his personal household. They estimate
>what Euglyptus needs and apportion that assessment between the
>tribes based on intelligence data like that of the Good Rat in KoS.
>As the Occupation continues, the intelligence gets better and the
>process of apportionment gets easier to administer.
>
>I think that the tax collectors pay Euglyptus in advance of actually
>collecting the taxes. These payments were, in effect, loans to the
>Governor-General and he is required to pay interest back to the tax
>collectors. As an offset, the tax collectors have the individual
>responsibility of converting properties and goods collected into
>coinage, alleviating this hardship from the treasury. In the end,
>the collectors would keep anything in excess of what they bid plus
>the interest due from the treasury; with the risk being that they
>might not collect as much as they originally bid.
>
>The collection of taxes and the conversion of properties into specie
>is presumably handled by leagues and associations (and is probably
>given to whatever league is affiliated with the Governor-General).
>Presumably the Etyries cult is very tightly linked into the process.
If this structure actually existed in Sartar the whole social structure would collapse within a few years. There is every incentive for the tax collectors to just seize everything they can lay their hands on and rely on the army to supress the resulting revolts.
However if we assume that any bidding is a formality and that the associations use political connections with the Governor-General to get the contracts it becomes necessary for them to work with him to get the renewal and not overtax. So the Governor-General becomes involved in setting the actual tax rates for individual tribes - not surprising as the most lucrative ones will probably be allocated to the association his family are involved in.
All this does is transfer the bureaucracy from an Imperial body to that of a league or association. Same people, just working for a different boss.
It also creates a lot more storylines, you've got the association who knows their contract isn't going to be renewed because of political changes and have to make as much money as they can on this years collection. There's the representaive of one association who tries to get a clan to revolt so that another association can be shown to be overtaxing. etc.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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