Your preferred" Set it and forget it" Tax/Levy laws

[Pinstar]

What level of taxes and levies do you normally aim for in your realm for each of the three holding types that you normally keep static for the long term? And why.

If you want to respond 'it depends' what specific levels would you suggest for which specific circumstances?

 

[unmerged(494787)]

I generally roll with max feudal levies, small feudal taxes, normal city levies, high city taxes, normal church levies, normal church taxes. Normally, all my count-level or above vassals are feudal (with the exception of the odd Doge here and there), so collecting taxes from them is a must. They don't really object to max levies much. As for the rest, baron-level mayors are typically easy to please, but you don't want to upset bishops too much or they'll pay taxes to the pope instead.

 

[ve3609]

I usually raise it to medium. Then I use whatever profits I have to build up my own demense

 

[NewbieOne]

For roleplaying reasons I try not to put high taxes in place unless there's a pressing need but I sometimes use medium when I can get away with it and there are good ways of spending.

Generally zero feudal tax as I doubt it'd produce big sums anyway, although I may be mistaken and certainly, if I were an emperor, it might be worth it to tax a kingdom, even a minimal non-zero tax rate in exchange for a -5 or -10 or whatever it was to opinion. As a rule, normal feudal levies, the rest, whether tax or levies is close to medium or a notch below, unless burghers ask for relief, which I usually grant. I have not yet developed a habit of treasury planning to load the coffers when opinion bonuses allow for higher tax rates that they compensate. Such reserves may come in handy when you have a tech advance that allows you a new structure, so you can respond immediately instead of only trying to start making some savings then.

If I went heavy with retinues and didn't actually have need for levies, I'd probably turn them down and bump taxes in exchange. On the other hand, if I needed levies but tax money didn't matter much, I might let them off with minimal tax and just get more men from them. But I'm tempted to analyse the relationship between laws and opinion and then opinion and tax/levy amounts vassals give to find out if it doesn't actually pay better to make it easy on them so they like me more.

 

[Dustz]

Best for me:

And the answer is no, i haven't got ANY civil war in the last 50 years :rofl:

Actually

Spoiler

I have really good relations with most of my vassals

and when

Spoiler

my 60 year long ruler died and i lost the +50 relation bonus for long term, i still managed to control all factions and avoid any possible revolt, 300 monthly gold you win with this is a LOT of gold, and if everything fails... just send the megaarmy that you can recruit with this laws agains the revolters :wub:

 

[unmerged(26764)]

Harsh city taxes, max church taxes for sure. Church taxes come down if my traits aren't enough to keep the bishops paying me over the pope. Normal levies for both.

Lately I crank up feudal taxes to max once I get a long reign penalty, and then cut it to zero when I get a new king and the realm is unstable. As my vassals like me more, I raise their taxes. The only time this is a problem is a regency because you can't change laws, and you can get stuck with a regency and max feudal taxes meaning a massive revolt.

 

[macphineas]

Best for me:

And the answer is no, i haven't got ANY civil war in the last 50 years :rofl:

Actually

Spoiler

I have really good relations with most of my vassals

and when

Spoiler

my 60 year long ruler died and i lost the +50 relation bonus for long term, i still managed to control all factions and avoid any possible revolt, 300 monthly gold you win with this is a LOT of gold, and if everything fails... just send the megaarmy that you can recruit with this laws agains the revolters :wub:

Wouldn't you have an even larger army if you had kept feudal taxes low, and vassal's opinions higher?

 

[Dustz]

Wouldn't you have an even larger army if you had kept feudal taxes low, and vassal's opinions higher?

With the amount of money you won with all these taxes during aprox the 5 first years of reing on improving relations with everyone i've managed to keep everyone happy (after this king died, in 5 years i had average relations with vassals arround +50) so i can pass the rest of the reign using the benefits of the maximum centralization. This has been only an experiment, but it worked better than i though, actually really good :blink:

 

[Mutineer]

It depends, If I play ortodox inland country, I first put max city tax, max church tax. I migth low max levy from cities/churches so I have better relation.

Then for a long time I change nothing, in mean time I concentrate on raising crown autority and expandingand changing succession law. At that time I do not want to low relationship with feodal vassals. Chabge of succession law demand that all vassals have + to you.

When I finally form empire and establish crown autoryty and succession law I want, I do not need to warry about everyone happiness any more. So, I put Max feodal tax, and continue with expancing with combination with buiding spree.

That work for same time, but eventially you become so incredibly big, you need to have kings vassals and keep them happy and keepping empire happy become a problem.
At that time I drop feodal tax. At that point you useally CAN NOT change laws any one, exept getting them to default. You never get enogth voites, abd they tend to voit for no feodal tax by default.

If I play catolic, it depence. if for example, some place near sea. I tend to go to max city taxes/ min max church levy. I migth even consider to drop church tax to 0, because most bishops pay taxes to Rome anyway,
Then after I expand to my county limit I tend to give new counting to majors ( if place same culture).

So, my income base is taxes from cities and grandcities and republics. Bishops insted provide levies. after that I tend not to change thinks.

 

[Kanin_Usagi]

Medium Crown Authority unless someone is going to inherit outside my realm and there's nothing I can do, then I'll make it High for a generation. Normal Levies for everything and Medium taxes for everything except for Church taxes, as I normally put them to max as I like setting up Prince-Bishops and Anti-Popes.

 

[dorukdorucu]

Maximum church taxes-levies, everything else set to default.

 

[yezhanquan]

Everything at default settings. I'm that kind of liege that bends over when a faction wants elective succession. I will change investiture, though.