Hegemony

[paul191600]

Taxing his people to their necks.

[Retech]

It's perfectly legitimate, but I won't be getting the compounding GDP growth that the rest of you are getting.

 

I merely had two big investments that I had to fund (Amazon + Highways), and the rate will be lowered for the next resets. Mathematically it doesn't make any sense to keep the tax rate above 10%, which I have calculated to be optimal. Using the equations for domestic, foreign, and project investments, I solved a quadratic which basically said that over a reasonable span of 50 years, 9.blahblahblah% taxation rate (+ military spending) is for the maximum level of money earned and growth created.

 

The power of math!

Edited March 20, 2011 by Retech

[Icuownage]

Really? Surprised there's not mass riots cause you just quintupled the tax rate.

[Icuownage]

I can imagine that scene.

 

-Government official walks into your house-

 

"Good evening sir/madam, I am here today to show you this"

 

-Pulls out large whiteboard full of math equations-

 

"What is this?"

 

"'What is this?' THIS is the answer to our economic problems, our plan is to increase your tax five times the amount you pay, so we have more money to fund OTHER nations."

 

"Sounds amazing"

Edited March 20, 2011 by Icuownage

[Icuownage]

Tell that to a person with basic understanding of math, basic understanding of economics and you're using their money.

 

Not everyone is so ready to accept the right idea, when it's their asses that work to pay for it.

 

To put it in perspective, the tax rate generally is balanced out by the lifestyle a person will live. So if they've been paying 5% for a lot of the time, they grow accustomed to that rate. You suddenly change that rate, their life has changed drastically, they'll become stressed, etc. It's true.

 

It woulda have been fine if he did it at a fixed increase every year, and people STILL get pissed about that.

[Icuownage]

Not sure you're understanding what I mean here.

 

If your bills were quintupled right now, how [bleep]ed would you be? The answer, very.

 

Also that's a quater of all you earn, gone to the government. That doesn't count other bills, like utility, and such.

 

Please excuse spelling errors, it's very late.

[Icuownage]

Probably have some knock on effect. If it doesn't I'll do it next, as it's basically free money.

[Icuownage]

No I'm implying taxing your people heavily will piss em off. Well SUDDENLY taxing em heavily anyway.

 

The average person doesn't know economics, infact you might be very wrong about economics, I don't even know economics. But if you were taxed heavily all of a sudden it would piss you off, yes, no.

[archimage_a]

Update will be mildly later than usual due to shopping :rolleyes:

 

Retech started with high taxes, usually if you raise your taxes people are mildly put out, but anything below 20% doesn't cause significant upset.

20-30 changes from 'not unhappy' to 'mift' and 30+ begins to really wind people up.

[archimage_a]

And after an hour and a half of preparing to go shopping, I choose to stay home because it isn't a trip to go shopping, its a trip to take my sister to football and then fiddle around for six hours until she is finished.

*Departs into a rant about how I don't have six hours of time to waste when the outcome of those six hours wasted is that I buy two shirts I don't really like and a pair of trousers that I spent half an hour convincing Mum was the only pair of trousers I wanted because they were the only pair that didn't make me look like a billboard for whatever company made them, or because they had a stupid 'hip' design on, and the only real positive to come out of the day is that Dad doesn't get to buy a load of rubbish food that gets thrown away the day after we buy it because it was 10p cheaper.*

[Retech]

Update will be mildly later than usual due to shopping :rolleyes:

 

Retech started with high taxes, usually if you raise your taxes people are mildly put out, but anything below 20% doesn't cause significant upset.

20-30 changes from 'not unhappy' to 'mift' and 30+ begins to really wind people up.

 

That's why my high taxes were only temporary so I could kick-start the projects, which my people are happy about.

 

The taxation rate will be probaly lowered to 19% (ends up at 25% after military and minimum wage increase is factored) for the next reset, and then lower by 5% for the next few resets until it reaches 9-10%.

 

Keep in mind these are based only on my calculations, which is based on the 50-year model. Your interests could be more short-term and long-term, so the tax rate could clearly differ. As an estimate, 5% with 50b in military is good for 100 years and higher is good for less. I didn't actually solve all the systems of equations, but it came out roughly as a simple quadratic, so I thought it was good enough.

 

-----

 

Also, I am investing some 200-300 billion into my country, so clearly it is not being wasted on other countries.

Edited March 20, 2011 by Retech

[archimage_a]

Brazil:

Brazil has had a rollercoaster year, many have commented on the stoic bravery and good nature of Brazil for raising the Minimum wage of Bolivia and keeping it raised. (+2 Moral Standing) But then Brazil made a concise statement:

"Brazil will protect the sovereignty of the nations in South America from economic and military attack. Further, we will not attempt the hostile takeover of another South American country. We are pledging ourselves to restore peace in the region."

Which has scared many investors in Brazil, causing them to pull out. The effect has been disastrous, but not catastrophic, with over 200 Billion* being taken out of the country's GDP and reinvested in Argentina, which has literally exploded into activity with a growth rate of 22% as reflationary policies, funded mostly by investment, finally reduce inflation down to 3%, down from the 20% of recent years. It is suspected that Argentina may retake economic control of South America in the next few decades. Brazil has, of course, heavily criticized European and American Countries for this blatant act of economic sabotage, which has effectively ended the chances of reinvestment in the near future.

It could not, however, seize Ecological Control, with the Magnanimous Imperial Majesty Dom Pedro I, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil(Retech) has been featured on the front page of Time Magazine for bringing back the Amazon Rainforest. The masterful feat, though by no means complete, has provided a huge surge in scientific activity in Brazil (+5 Years on any one project), as well as cementing Brazil as Green on Maps across the world.(+10 Biological Impact).

North American Analysts have commented that Brazil could have got a lot more money if it had been part of a carbon trading scheme, though with a heavy Carbon Load of its own, Brazil may have thought it needed the reduction for themselves first.

 

Germany

Germany has established the Ministry of International Affairs, which has been cited as the return of the Gestapo, to accompany the Starsi. The MIA has launched a dozen satellites into orbit.

Three Aircraft Carriers and four troop transport vessels were put in for construction this year. A number of Battleships were also planned, but it appears that the newest Battleship is some 60 years old.

The biggest news story has, however, been a speech by the German President on the subject of Space Exploration. While many international reporters have snubbed the speech as wishful thinking, the domestic crowd have become quite taken with the idea.

http://www.wechoosethemoon.org/ (Real site), the German Advanced Space Program's Official Website, received over 40 Million hits from within Germany and the donation of 2 Billion Dollars.

[hide][/hide]

 

Switzerland

Switzerland has received a loan of 5 Billion Dollars from Germany, and invests it in Guinea(Africa). Swiss Spokesmen tapped the sign that said foreigners will be mustard gassed when asked for comment. The international community is unsure whether to congratulate Switzerland on their Humanitarian Efforts, or to intervene on behalf of Guinea.

Elsewhere Switzerland has finished the preliminary work on the Space Elevator Concept. This breakthrough has revealed a practical way to build the Elevator for some 2 Trillion Dollars, though the materials have not yet been fully researched.

 

South Africa:

South Africa has built Federal Ancillary Building A and Federal Ancillary Building B.

Both buildings are covered by the official secrets act and so neither of them can be talked about in South Africa on pain of Death.

[Icuownage]

MIA was meant to be a secret, but it's okay I don't mind people knowing about it.

 

PM the details of their mission though.

 

Also why were the battleships so old? I didn't mind paying for a ton of new ones :S.

 

 

OOC

 

Why does everything I seem to do get linked with WW2? It's like everyone is still butthurt. Cause real life Germany has an intelligence network and I'm sure they're not called that :o

Edited March 20, 2011 by Icuownage

[archimage_a]

No new ones have been designed since the second world war.

 

They haven't uncovered anything yet.

 

And it is fairly hard to keep big buildings secret, and since Germany doesn't have an Official Secrets Act...

[Icuownage]

Okay.

 

I would say, why can't I just use google Earth for this, but that hasn't been updated for a few years.

 

Also 'keeping big buildings secret' is done all the time in USA. Many unmakred skyscrapers exist which people just assume are regular skyscrapers with employees in.

 

Inb4 conspiracy, the government has confirmed it.

Edited March 20, 2011 by Icuownage

[Icuownage]

http://www.cracked.com/article_18717_6-massive-secret-operations-that-are-hidden-all-around-you.html

 

Number 2 on the list.

[archimage_a]

America has an Official Secrets Act...in all but name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917

[Icuownage]

Touché moderator, touché

[Retech]

I am kinda confused.

 

What?

 

------

 

Brazil blocks the funds from being withdrawn before they are withdrawn.

Edited March 20, 2011 by Retech

[Retech]

Right, so the factories in Brazil that the people's attempted to steal are nationalised, due to their attempted economic sabotage.

 

Naturally, this was stopped, and fifty billion has been sent to the German government to reimburse them for their losses, as Brazillians are no thieves. We are still awaiting word from the United States.

[archimage_a]

Germany:

Opened a base in Eastern Russia(north of Japan)

 

Brazil:

Nationalized factories attempting to leave Brazil. This has caused investor confidence to plummet and import/exports have suffered greatly as a result, as few wish to send more goods to a country that may nationalise them at any time.

 

Brazil's position in South America was practically destroyed by a damning speech given by Switzerland, it is unknown if they will ever recover from this horrific upset.

 

Switzerland:

Swiss Prime Minster, Paul Paulingson, has made a shocking speech while leaving his airplane after it touched down in Bern earlier today.

"The settlement of the Bolivian Problem, which has now been achieved, is, in my view, only the prelude, to a larger settlement in which all South America may find peace.

*Boos and heckling*

This morning I had another talk with the Brazilian Generalissimo Don Pedro and I have in my hand a piece of paper which bares his name upon it as well as mine.

*Holds up the paper to a roar of anger*

Some of you have, perhaps, already heard what it contains, but I would just like to read it to you. 'We, the Brazilian Generalissimo and Chancellor, and the Swiss Prime Minister have had a further meeting today and are agreed, that in the question of recognising Brazilo-Swiss relations, it is of the first importance for the two countries and for the world, that we regard the agreement signed last night and the Brazilo-Swiss trade agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two countries never to go to war against each other again.'

*There is more booing*

Do you know what I have in my hand!?

*There is another rumble of discontent*

I have FILTH!

*The crowd quietens down*

I have in my hand a brazen effort to corrupt this fine nation with offers of much jewellery and wealth if only we sell out our breathern overseas. We shall never rest until those of Malicious Intent and of Callous Hearts, namely Brazil, have bitten, and bitten deeply, the sour bread of humble pie.

*The paper is torn asunder*

For there can never be peace and prosperity in a world of tyrants! And we shall fight them on the beaches, and on the landing grounds, and in the school-yards and the playgrounds, and the stock markets and custom's offices, we shall never give up and we shall never surrender, and if this Brotherhood of Free Nations endures for a thousand years, all shall look back and say that This was their finest hour!

*Rapturous applause*

"

The effect on the Swiss Public has been electric, carrying the Prime-Minster back to his home with cheering crowds and spectators.

The effect in South America has been somewhat darker, with Brazilian living abroad being turned out of their homes and thrown into the gutter. Only Columbia has tutted its head and said that Switzerland has missed out on an opportunity to earn a powerful ally.

In Brazil itself there have been Anti-Swiss Rallies, with an increasingly Anti-Bolivian feel, some are even openly burning effigies of the Bolivian leader.

[Icuownage]

I guess Vietnam said no then :P

 

Also what of my hydroponics tower and such?

[The_Mather1]

Japan breaks the political silence by announcing that it will use the remainder of its budget to build green powerplants in third-world nations, any nation with a quality of life score lower than 60 may apply.

Oh, and please state the remainder of my budget if you have any clue, I lost track after the purchase of some of the vehicles I requested.

EDIT: This heptade that is, because a lot of next reset's budget will be going to Tokyo, which will need a lot more than the leftover "change".

[Retech]

Retraction

[Retech]

Indonesia looks disapprovingly at Brazil.

 

I thought of all countries, Indonesia would be the most hesitant to believe false propaganda.