Time for an Accounting (Alicia & Neav)

[Adder]

Early Autumn, Era XII

The winds of change that the Governor had set sweeping through the Halls of the Concordia had finally resulted in the Assistant Excheguer arriving at her office to make his report, as others had surely done before him. The dwarf was dour and his beard was neatly trimmed but aside from his lack of humour, which in part was natural for him and in part a defence against suddenly being landed with the job of explaining the finances of the Province to the Governor.

He grasped a thick bundle of papers, all tied together neatly by a red ribbon, itself tied in a bow in the precise centre of the papers. He stopped at the desk and nodded shortly to Manijoor. Here to see 'er as'n she wanted, or so they tell me, an they better be right since I've got better things to be doing wiv me time than wandering the Halls wi paperwork.

Manijoor waved him to a seat and slid into Alicia's office, taking the current file of paperwork that needed her attention. He placed the file on her desk with a smile and stood back. Bjarn Stronghelm the Assistant to the Exchequer to see you, and by the looks of him, he means to tell you all about the state of the finances. Do you want your Lieutenant here for it?

[Alicia Elsdragon]

Alicia looked up at Manijoor and pulled a face at him as he told her that the Assistant to the Exchequor was here. She then smiled at him and nodded

Please, Manijoor. Get the Lt Governer in here and lets get this over with, shall we? she said, quietly.

She hated this sort of thing, hated finances and everything that went with them. In truth, she hated it because she was not confident with it. But that was by the bye, she knew. She had to do some things and this was one of them. So she waited for the Lt Governer to come in and then braced herself for a brightening of numbers.

[Adder]

He smiled back, understanding her distaste but in truth the Exchequer held nearly as much practical power as the Governor did and unless she understood what was happening she would never have true power in the Province.

Of course. Just let me go and find her for you. He slipped out and headed off to the new Lieutenants office, hoping to find her there.

[Neav'ekel Nia'mnyth]

Following Manijoor from her office to that of the Governor. Having grabbed a blank writing book and a pencil, she tucked the leather bound item under her arm and put the pencil in her pocket. Neav’ekel’s talons clicked on the floor as she moved between the two offices.

Smiling to the dwarf waiting outside she walked toward the Governor’s office. Looking to Alicia, she bowed her head and smiled.
“What do we have today?”

OOC: If I bunnied, I will edit :S

[Alicia Elsdragon]

ooc: no bunny! all good!

Alicia smiled up at her Lt Governer and noted with pleasure the writing implement and parchment she glanced at Manijoor and smiled gently.

We have the Assistant to the Exchequor. she said, quietly That means that we can discuss the financial state of the province, where we need to tighten our belt, what monies we have, what we need to work on and so on.

Alicia looked at Manijoor and smiled Well, I would suggest that the best thing to do is to get the Assistant to the Exchequor in here and lets find out where we are at, shall we? she said, motioning to Neav to have a seat.

Damnit but she hated bloody economics. Hated it with a passion.

[Adder]

It was fortunate for the Governor that the Exchequer had little to do with econonics then. Instead of abstract and unproven theories as to how the economy functioned, the Exchequer worked in the real world of numbers, using tried and tested formula's to estimate how the future worked. Sometimes they got it right and sometimes they got it wrong for the future was by definition unpredictable, a factor few Economists had the pride to admit.

The dwarf nodded to the Lieutenant. Bjarn Stronghelm at yer service ma'am. I've come here as instructed to discuss the current state of affairs and to find out what you want to do in the future.

As'n you'll know, we have a new obligation to pay tax to the Empress. And the Articles of the Imperium places certain obligations on the Governor to spend money. Aside from that though it is entirely down to the Governor how she chooses to raise the money by taxes and also how she wishes to spend it.

Now there isn't any one good place to start with this, so lets see what has been spent to date and then perhaps we can discuss if you want to continue with that, after which we can talk about raising the funds. It's a process that will run us in circles since we likely can't afford what you'd like to spend. But remember one thing which is that for the last era's the Imperials haven't asked for taxes and as a result people have got used to paying us less tax. Raising taxes will be unpopular and ye'll have to think how you are going to go about it without causing riots.

He glanced at them both. Is that reasonable or do you have any questions or comments?

[Alicia Elsdragon]

Alicia listened and nodded slightly I've been thinking about that. she said and then frowned as she spoke The way I see it, there are two main issues as far as taxation is concerned. The first is private taxation and the second is buisiness. Now, if we can work out what we used to collect in taxes and how it was spent, then we can do a gap analysis on what we need. However, I've had a thought

She leant forwards slightly, looking at the two of them and smiling slightly, although her eyes were intense as she focused on her train of thought Bear with me - this is complex so my head hurts.ets say that your average business owner has been used to paying 50 crowns in tax, alright? We now find that we need to charge them 80 crowns in tax. I know that these figures are plucked from the air, but they work for the purpose of what I'm trying to do

Alicia pulled a piece of parchment and drew a line. On the left of the line, at its beginning, she wrote the number "50" and on the right of the line, where it ended, she wrote the word "80". In between these she drew small vertical lines, effectively splitting the line up into six equal segments.

Alright. This is what we have. This is what the baker, let us say, *used* to pay, this is what he *needs* to pay now. But that is looking at it too simplistically, I think. Lets look at what his fifty crowns used to pay for. It used to pay for, lets say, feeding the Cuirasseurs, for example. So now, we put forward a proposition to the baker. ....

She stopped and stood up, walking around the desk and pacing the room slightly I'm sorry - it helps me think. Now - the baker can EITHER pay the 80 crowns and continue as normal or he can pay the 50 crowns and donate 30 crowns of foodstuff, stock of his, or heck, even flour in order to make up the other 30. Now, that means that we no longer have to spend that 50 on the food for the Cuiresseurs, we only need to find 20 crowns. Well, we take that out of the 50 he still gives us. Then we have 30 left over - which we pay the Imperial Taxes with. Would that work? she asked, looking at the Assistant Exchequor with an expression which was, at best, dubious It would mean that we could advertise that people can give time in goods or services in order to make up the shortfall. The way I see it that might actually end up promoting more of a feeling of community as well as allowing people to see that their Government is trying to meet the needs of the Empire and the Imperial Taxes whilst not taking the food from their mouths.....

She sat down and smiled, opening her hands in a gesture of almost-submission Go on - why is it completely illogical? she asked them both.

[Adder]

Bjarn was pleased that the Governor seemed to have a grasp of the challenge that would face, and listened carefully, watching as she paced and a frown of concentration burrowed into his forehead.

Aye, ye'd be right in the principle of the thing I reckon. It matters not what the numbers be for the purpose of this discussion. He breathed a sigh of relief that he'd able to say that since some were so paralysed by the thought of numbers that discussing anything other than the exact amounts involved was impossible. And since he didn't know the numbers yet, it would have stalemated the conversation, leading to one of those arguments where he was accused of incompetance simply because the person couldn't use their own common sense.

Allowing them to pay in something other than crowns is a good possibility in the cities since to date it's all too prevelant that crowns are demanded. Out in the wilderness it's different though since some of the citizens there haven't even ever seen a crown. Barter and levvying the tax on the villages works well since they can then pay the tax in foodstuffs, timber or whatever it is that they produce and then levvy the tax out between the citizens using their normal bartering system.

However, while what you suggest is a good idea and a worthwhile one. Indeed, it might even make some of them more keen to supply the government, but perhaps I skipped something important that you weren't aware of.

Until now the city has been self sufficient in terms of tax, indeed until recently the city produced an excess of taxes. As a result when we levied taxes on the other cities in the province, we never actually collected them, instead allowing the cities to keep the taxes for their own uses.

The wilderness hasn't been taxed for patterns to my knowledge. It is very likely in my mind that we can cover that shortfall simply by imposing those taxes. Now it won't pull in crowns quickly and we'll need to recruit and train tax collectors, but it can be done.

[Neav'ekel Nia'mnyth]

Math? The Draconess’ eye ridges both raised in surprise as she sat in a chair. Her tail settled in her lap as she rested the open book against it, pencil poised. Smiling again to the man, she settled back as best she could.

Watching the entire scene before her, the Draconess supported the theory that softskins had their moments. Scribbling down some notes in short hand Draconi, Neav’ekel shifted in the chair again, hating the seats made for those without wings.

Neav’ekel’s eyes flicked toward the dwarf, the odd colours of green blue and red brown taking on a glazed look.
“You wish those, who you have said, have never seen a Crown, to pay taxes? A family like that obviously provides for itself. Tell me, if you take their means of survival, how are they to survive?” Leaning forward toward the dwarf, a sharp toothed grin along her elegant muzzle.
“To find one city of limited population responsible for a province’s taxes is, in my mind, ridiculous. Also, to employ ‘paid’ people to collect money, is for when one has an excess of money, an excess which we, by your words, we do not have.”

[Adder]

The dwarf eyed the dracon with some surprise and raised an eyebrow, but he answered back regardless.

You think that because they have no crowns that they have no wealth? That because they have no crowns that they don't live better than some in the cities? They exist by means of bartering and favours. They have no use for crowns and no need of them. Some of them have crowns, those that trade with those from outside, but many of them have been no further than the edges of their fields in their whole lives and have no interest in so doing.

That doesn't mean that they cannot afford the tax, just that they can't pay in crowns that is all.

But I am confused by your question, I'll admit to you frankly. How else would we collect taxes but by paying people to go out and collect them? Do you think they would come forward and pay the tax in the full amount? He laughed to himself at the idea, ignoring and ignorant of the offense he might be causing by so doing.

The only way to collect taxes is to stand on a mans property, count his animals and see how fat his wife is. Only then will you know if he lies about his income or the extent of his holdings. Of course a part of the taxes is spent in paying for their collection, but there is no choice, unless you had a suggestion? His eyebrow raised a little higher.

[Neav'ekel Nia'mnyth]

Her patience for those who dealt with money was wearing thin. She sensed no sense of family from this man and she rattled her scales in annoyance. Sitting back in the chair as best she could, the Draconess grimaced.
“Take a person of your office, or multiple persons and reassign their role. If you can find them to change them, then you have no need. Make them your tax collectors.”

Talons tapped the arm of the chair as she thought, her hand scribbling away in the book.
“I believe the Lady Governess’s suggestion is one that favors us best presently, especially since you wish to collect from all and not all have Crowns. The prices of produce vary from city to city and you will find you would receive your Crowns for the Empress.” Finding the need of increased taxation a second annoyance she titled her head to the side. “What is the increase?”

OOC: I suck at this kind of thing, I am sorry I am trying to sound smart

[Adder]

ooc: <grins> tis fine

The dwarf failed to refrain a laugh at this one. Ah, sorry, but to collect from the wilderness we'll need perhaps five thousand collectors, and that assumes that there are no issues. Given that we need to make the assessments on each and every household, something that might take several brightenings for each, we might need up to twenty thousand collectors. I haven't got that sort of numbers and indeed the only department that has is the Phoenix Legion. And considering that we'll need force on show to collect and to protect whats been collected that might not be such a bad idea. Of course they will need training, which won't be easy but tis a way forward. He nodded at the dracon, pleased that she'd suggested something that might be a way forward, though it needed the Governor to agree with it of course.

However, I should point out that there is an alternative method of colecting the taxes, one that would solve many of our problems, which is to use the noble families. They already administer the wilderness and no doubt many of them have continued to collect taxes even though they have not passed them on. Their wealth and power is after all based on the ground that has been granted to them, so I might suggest that we simply pass the bill onto the Marquisses. He nodded to Alicia, and of course give them the option of supplying what is needed in goods instead of taxes. Since we are effectively already buying much of our foodstuffs for example from those whom the Marquisses control, it might prove a useful solution.

As for the increase, well we don't know yet, aside from the fact that the Imperial Exchequer has asked for seventy one million crowns per era. As for the produce prices, yes they will vary, but we can save by not buying food for the Legion for example.

[Alicia Elsdragon]

Alicia considered and nodded Well enough. At the moment we have the Phoenix Legion who are without a job and that is never good. I want them to be used and used well. Could we combine these two ideas in any way? I want the monies from the Noble Families, because frankly those taxes belong to Centripax.

She frowned and considered Approach the Noble Families... is there a way of effectively using the Phoenix Legion to help with this? Ideas? Suggestions? she asked, looking at the two of them with a gleam of interest in her eyes. And bear in mind that I want these changes implemented, so we need to consider staffing at your department she said, looking at the dwarf with a calm expression.

[Adder]

The dwarf looked a little uncomfortable at the sudden placing of the onus back on him and he privately muttered a curse at the Imperial Chancellor Hsin who had so blithely wandered off and left this mess in the dwarfs lap, a job he had never so much as asked for.

Well I suppose that the two could be brought together in one. The Legion as far as I am aware, and this is outside of my department, patrols the province so I imagine that if we needed them to guard shipments of goods or coin then they could do that.

We would perhaps bill the Marquisses and then leave it to them to then come back and tell us how they intended to pay, giving them the option that we would accept payment in goods. It'll be a mammoth task and it'll take a while to put into place but I see no reason why we shouldn't do it, certainly it'll be easier than doing the assessments ourselves, so perhaps a reorganisation in my department would be necessary to cope with that, yes. Of course there are still those who don't hold allegiance to the Marquisate and likely the cities will need the tax collected directly and then credited to the accounts of the Marquisates where we take from those who are beholden. The dwarf mused at the idea and wondered if the Lieutenant Governor might have any input.

[Neav'ekel Nia'mnyth]

Sitting back and listening to the pair, the Draconess scribbled in the leather bound book she carried. The Draconess was half tempted to sketch the dwarf hanging from a roof. Shaking the thought from her head she looked up slowly, looking between the two again and smiling.
“Sounds good to me.”

OOC: Sorry for the shortness, at a loss as to what to reply with.