How do Wizards pay taxes?

[Thanee]

I think taxes would be paid by money, but your idea is pretty cool!

Another idea would be to relieve them of taxes completely, but assign some tasks to them, which they can do, i.e. city defense, constructing, knowledge applications, etc.

This would be a simpler version of yours basically, without the necessity of a spell pool and royal wizards to tap into it's reserves.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Hand of Evil]

I would do it using the Wizard Guild as part of their annual dues. The guild would then supply the kingdom with goods, advice, and services.

If a wizard could not pay, they would be the ones performing the services, building the items, doing reseach and such.

If a wizard did not pay he would be without protection and by law not allowed to cast spells or become a 'house wizard' (one who works for another group/family). Either leaving the kingdom or having to find a patron.

 

[Irda Ranger]

err.... I might be wrong but I thought a "baker's dozen" being 13 is because he bakes 12 to have 1 dozen (of whatever, for whatever reason). While he's at it, he bakes 1 more for himself. Thus a baker's dozen is 13.

Actually, the Baker owed a dozen loaves to his Lord (a regular 12, just like anyone else). However, the Tax Collector always under-reported what he collected and sold/ kept the difference for himself. That's why a Baker's Dozen is 13; the extra loaf pays for the graft.

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As for you folks who day "Well, we've never done it that way before." I say "Bah hum-bug!" Just 'cause no one's ever done it is not a reason to not do it!

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Hand of Evil - Yes, the Wizard's Guild would be a good choice for tax enforcement. I imagine that Wizards, being above average Intelligence by nature, would see the benefits of collective action. The Wizard's Guild would be also more equiped to handle tax evaders.

Thanee - Yes, that's another perfectly acceptable way of handling it. I tend to think "Modern, Western" thoughts, and think of the Govt. as using contractors and having full-time employees who get paid less for comfy positions. But of course, that's not how a lot of these more informal governments worked of course.

Celebrim - Yes, every kingdom would of course be different. I wonder, would Halrua (or pick your favorite Magocracy) have the lowest rate of taxes for Wizards, or the highest?

Crothian - Yes, you would need an infrastructure of Wizards, that's exactly what I am proposing. Besides, the Government doesn't collect taxes in a way that's convenient for you, it collected them in the way most convenient for them. I think that if you had a national spellpool, this would be the most convenient way to collect them.

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One thing Tome & Blood didn't go into was over what distance the spellpool was available for payment and casting. Since it didn't say, I think "Same plane of existence" would be fair. That negates most of the "Well, I was out of the Country" arguments, although of course you could always claim you'd stepped out of the Universe

I think the following Kingdoms in Forgotten Realms might have something like this.

Waterdeep
Silverymoon
Thay
Halrua
Evermeet
Cormyr (for the War Wizards, if nothing else)
maybe Calimshan

Silvanesti (from Dragonlance)

And, I would like to add, I think this is a lot more tame than the darn Mythal of Myth Drannor, or the stuff the Netherese were up to.

Irda Ranger

 

[Thanee]

I think the following Kingdoms in Forgotten Realms might have something like this.

Waterdeep
Silverymoon
Thay
Halrua
Evermeet
Cormyr (for the War Wizards, if nothing else)
maybe Calimshan

Silvanesti (from Dragonlance)

I don't think it would fit to Evermeet, as I don't see them as being a lawful good community (chaotic good, as elves should be).

And a system like this would surely only apply to a lawful community.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Happy Monkey]

Whomever is levelling the taxes needs to ensure the taxes are all-encompassing and unavoidable.

The easiest way to do this is to tax basic commodities. Food, lodging, clothes and other basic services that everyone needs to survive.

(Here in NZ it is called GST, Good and Services Tax of 12.5%. Australia just did it similarly. A very old concept.)

This cost is then passed on to everyone else by raised prices.

Essentially characters don't need to worry about taxes because it has already been paid and is paid every time they buy arrows/horses/even those magic items as part of the price.

Short answer = wizards already have paid.

I for one do not wish to work this out if I do not assume the prices have already been adjusted.

Sort of off topic, IMC a war levy was instituted that the PC's rather easily avoided paying. They were not alone in their tax evasion and are part of a cash crisis mid-war! They have considerable wealth and an ear to the ruling council, things will look bad if an enemy finds out.

Ooh the scandal...

 

[hong]

How would you, as a King of Fantasy land, go about collecting taxes from Wizards and Sorcerer?

Very, very politely.

You're a baker? You owe 13 loaves (Hence the phrase, a baker's dozen).

IIRC, the phrase came about because there were stiff punishments for bakers who ripped off their customers. Hence to be on the safe side, if you wanted 12 loaves, a baker would give you 13.

 

[Greatwyrm]

How about having them pressed in to service for a season or paying scutage, as with knights?

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

I'd imagine it would be with spells.

Wall of Stone for rudimentary construction
Wall of Iron so they don't have to mine the stuff
Continual Light to keep the streets lit

I could also see having some cantrips made into magic items or made permenant. The exp loss would be minor.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

By playing "assistant magician" at a Nexus Tower.

 

[Irda Ranger]

By playing "assistant magician" at a Nexus Tower.

Interesting idea, the Nexus Tower. Reminds me a bit of some stuff Microprose had in its old game, Master of Magic (if anyone remembers that).

If I read it right, doesn't a Nexus Tower (under normal conditions) then produce 10K - 30K of free XP/ year for magic item creation? I know that sounds like a lot from a personal Wizard's POV, but from a government's point of view, it doesn't seem like much. Especially given the amount of work that goes into building the Tower itself, and city planning for optimise energy flow, etc.

If you have anything typed up, I would be interested in an email with regards to how this goes about being put into practice.

Irda Ranger