M2 HRE Test Imperial Diet Deliberations

[econ21]

Chancellor, I am bemused by your proposed Imperial tax schedule. Currently, Vienna is making a gross profit of 521 with normal taxes and hence paying that much to the Imperium. You propose to lower her Imperial taxes to 200, despite knowing that she can increase her gross profits still further by raising local taxes.

By contrast, Innsbruck is making a gross profit of 78 and cannot change her local taxes, yet you propose lowering taxes to 75.

I wonder, what have the good, hard-working but poor citizens of Innsbruck done to deserve a miserly tax cut of 3 florings while their richer cousins in Vienna will benefit from a tax cut a hundred times bigger, of 321 florins?!?

I fear I cannot support this tax bill - my subjects would lynch me if I did!

I am grateful, however, for the offer to pay the upkeep of some of my men. Unfortunately, I fear this would be against article 5.7 of our constitution unless it were formally proposed and passed as an edict.

Duke Leopold, if you would like knights to be recruited for you from Innsbruck, I suggest we formalise this. Please post a contractual offer (in the orders thread) and I will accept or decline it. I believe the Chancellor has on another occasion suggested a 25% mark up on the purchase price, which would seem reasonable.

And gentlemen, lest you think I am being too money grabbing here, I would assure you that my concern is only raising the 2400 funds to upgrade my keep to a castle. With a new profit of only 3 florins every two years, it will take me a fair while to achieve that.

On the subject of disbanding some of my men in order to start accumulating a surplus, I will propose disbanding one archer and one spearman unless the Chancellor advises that even that economy too risky.

I should also say that I am eager to see action and am willing to be posted anywhere that the Chancellor bids fit (ooc: to avoid autocalcs).