> 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.
For what it is worth, the described structure was the norm for tax collection in the Roman provinces. And not terribly dissimilar from the system of tax farming in 17th-18th century France. As a tax farmer, you have to make a cost-benefit calculation - do I try to seize everything and run a high risk of open rebellion (and presumably get billed for the use of military force or even get criminal prosecution for my avarice), or do I try to figure out myself how much I can safely seize without running a significant risk of rebellion?
> 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.
Exactly! But this is a more complicated and less formal system than you had previously described - and one frought with MGF opportunities.
> 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.
Perfect agreement. Other storylines include the difficulty of transforming the collected tax (cattle, grain, wool, bits of amber, pots, cloth, etc) into specie (which then gets exchanged for cattle, grain, wool, metal goods, pots, cloth, etc.). This is why I think the Eytries cult are deeply involved in provincial tax farming.
Jeff
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