Paying the piper: taxes and leaders

[Longspur]

Okay, I have a feeling you're gonna point me in the direction of that very valuable thread, "Economics 101" (I feel a headache comin' on) but I've never understood MoO3 taxes. Like real life, taxes are complicated and come from multiple sources.

So, say a pretty good Leader shows up and says he's gonna lead your empire. He offers to boost some areas that would really help, and the price is 4 % of collected taxes.

What taxes ? If it empire taxes, and you've knocked them down from the say 13 % at the game beginning to only 3 %, with this tax "cut" (actually, just redistributing them) are you saving money when you hire this guy ?

Or does his take come out of all the various taxes -- empire, system, planet -- combined ? Does he have his hand in just one till, or all of 'em ?

Actually, in any case, I'd hire him. There always seems to be money layin' around someplace. That's why all my bureaucrats (viceroys) all seem to be fat and happy.

[Yushal Al Dai]

I didnt write the program, but...

Your tax rates and the percentages given by the leader are seperate things. Whatever your tax rate is it, obviously, translates into an amount of AU. The percentage from the leader affects this AU amount. Now whether it goes onto only empire tax, or only planet tax or any combination of the three levels of taxation I havent any idea, but my guess would be all collected taxes.

You should be able to figure out what exactly is affected, by reloading and firing him and noting the disparities.

Yeah you are right, money is way too free in this game; I still havent grasped just how free. Next game I play I am not going to bother balancing a budget, just gonna pump all the sliders up more and see what occurs.

The part of leaders that REALLY puzzles me is when it says X% FLEET. What the hell is that? There is also a FLEET MAINTENANCE percentage that can be given, so I have to assume it isnt to do with maintenance. Also there is X% GROUND FORCES. Now, does this mean its cheaper to build them? Or does it mean they are so much more or less effective? Or what?

[Crovaz]

i've never bothered to try and save money, i always crank up my sliders to max. Stored money=wasted money imho

u can view Fleet maintainance in the shipyards tab, and thats the number the % increase works on, not sure wot the other two does.

[Yushal Al Dai]

Ah, I read somewhere else on these forums that the GROUND TROOP %, and I would then assume also the FLEET %, are suppose to affect their efficiencies, or effectiveness, much like the race pick Aptitude and such was supposed. But, just as those race picks do not work, these particular leader %s do not work either...

Whether true or not, this explanation makes sense to me.