What are "state bonds"?

[James Mason]

In my budget screen, there is a line item for "state bonds". It never amounts to anything (sometimes 0, sometimes .1, etc.) but I'm curious if this is something else that I can manipulate, and/or how it shows up, etc.

Thanks!

Jim Mason

 

[Victor1234]

They are effectively donations to the state budget. If your pops have alot of cash reserves and nothing to spend it on, they'll "buy" state bonds. I'm pretty sure you never have to pay them back (at least I never have) and it's generally a sign of when your taxes are too lax. If you have alot of state bonds, raise taxes.

 

[unmerged(49082)]

IMO it is one of the not fully implemented features. I think this was intended to be an abstraction of how citizens financed government deficit (correct me if I am wrong but in the timespan only wartime bonds come to my mind). In practice this is an indication that your pops a swimming in cash and you should bleed them dry.

 

[OHgamer]

IMO it is one of the not fully implemented features. I think this was intended to be an abstraction of how citizens financed government deficit (correct me if I am wrong but in the timespan only wartime bonds come to my mind). In practice this is an indication that your pops a swimming in cash and you should bleed them dry.

Although in Revolutions it is also a good sign that your taxes on the wealthy POPs are likely low enough to allow reserve formation for capitalists, by allowing Aristos to have reserve incomes to invest in bonds (which IIRC start at $5000 in reserves to buy).

Pops swimming in cash is not necessarily a bad thing, if it means they have the militancy levels of three-day old dead eels and capitalists are building reserve income hand over fist. A calm, happy, prosperous population is a good thing - keeps them away from radical ideologies and provides the kind of social stability to allow successful prosecution of short, decisive wars and the resources in reserve if a long war does develop without having to raise taxes to massive levels, and more time to collect high taxes without militancy reaching radicalization levels.

 

[James Mason]

WHat I hear everyone saying is that I should be taxing my population more...

I try to keep it low, (like 20,25,30) and then keep the tariffs low too. Then when I need the money, I have someplace to go to get it...

 

[unmerged(17791)]

Keep it just under 33% (e.g. 32.81%). There's a threshold (plus more at higher levels) where POPs start to get a lot more ticked off if you cross that line.

I don't believe in bleeding my POPs dry. But, I do believe in relieving their money from them, all the same. Instead of taxing them directly (at which time they get mad at 'the man' and get militant), I'd much rather they invest, and buy stuff - which I make money on (bonds, tariffs, etc). That way everybody's happy... I get lots of money, low militancy, and high productivity... and they get all their little telephones, planes, automobiles and what not.

Bleeding them dry is just asking for a Bolshevik revolution. Not my style. I like the capitalism technique. And I tend to swim in a lot of cash, with advanced industry, tech and infrastructure.

Work WITH the people, not against them.

Btw, when ABSOLUTELY necessary, I think the next 'threshold' is 50%, so tax at 49.xx% if required. Sometimes you need it, before your economy gets up to speed, and usually the rich can afford it.

 

[Dysken]

If I wan't to rapidly industrialize (especially a smaller country like Pre WW1 Romania) I tax somewhere around 55% full tarriffs and rely on the church/moralism to keep people dumb and happy.

Once the basic infrastructure and exports economy is established you can relax taxes on rich people and start creating a capitalist fueled railroad network.

 

[RELee]

WHat I hear everyone saying is that I should be taxing my population more...

I try to keep it low, (like 20,25,30) and then keep the tariffs low too. Then when I need the money, I have someplace to go to get it...

Typically, beginning at 1836, I do have to tax my pops high and then I generally have to push my tariffs up to max as well to pay for those services that I feel I need to get my country going.

Defense spending at max.
Education spending at max.

The others are just as required, or not, depending on the situation and my mood.

Then, I start researching techs to increase my income. Techs like clean coal and experimental railroad, if I don't already have it. As money coming in starts to rise, I start lowering tax rates and tariffs. I try to not spend anything out of the treasury so I will have it for random events (playing a lot of VIP).

So far, I'm happy with this basic, starting strategy.

 

[James Mason]

I try to not spend anything out of the treasury so I will have it for random events (playing a lot of VIP).

Yes, VIP is expensive! I haven't added it up, but I'll bet you end up paying in the neighborhood of at least 100k for all the Indian territories in the USA.

But I'm not complaining...

Jim

 

[OHgamer]

Yes, VIP is expensive! I haven't added it up, but I'll bet you end up paying in the neighborhood of at least 100k for all the Indian territories in the USA.

But I'm not complaining...

Jim

100K over some forty years as the USA, mere peanuts.

(and not all that different in terms of relative benefit from what the Native Americans got out of the various land treaties signed in the 19th C with a US government that generally failed miserably to live up to its promises to the Native peoples made in the early treaty agreements within a very short period of their signing.)

 

[unmerged(86954)]

I rarely tax people over 33%. I do use tarifs, but once I can afford it I lower them too to around 0-25%. Sometimes I also cut the taxes to 25% flat tax, but usualy taxes remain at around 33%. Of course this all depends on the economic situation of the country.

I really play this game like how I'd like to lead a nation. o

 

[James Mason]

I've got a game going where I foolishly said yes to low healthcare (I think) and managed to get over 300k in debt, more or less to see how deep it would let me go. (Is there a limit?) Then I boosted tariffs as high as they would go, and actually taxed everyone 100% (again, just to see what would happen...). Now the US has a socialist government, there is virtually NO middle class, yet I still have workers in my factories, etc. I suppose they just don't have any money or something... Not quite sure how that is functioning.

I have managed to get the debt below 100k, taxes back under 50%, etc.

This is fun.

Now I will start a new game and not let it get out of control.

Jim