>How to fix the bum deal with EWTC
I see a simply solution based on
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/36880037/#p36888212
>>He said tax cut, not exemption... so what % Are we talking about here?
>Effectively a halving on the preferred merchant rate, with it automatically going to 0% if you lower your tariffs below half their current rate.
IIRC our tariffs are 12% general, 8% with preferred license.
That gives them a 4% rate.

The key is that it is 4% as long as tariffs are above 4%, or 0% if they go below. Instead of being a dynamic 4%p discount. (%p is percentage point. going from 6% to 3% can be said to be either a 50% cut or a 3%p cut)
This means that we can institute a "10 year trade invigoration bill" that give a 3%p discount to both preferred and regular merchants. Making the tax rate
EWTC: 4%
Preferred: 5%
General: 9%
it also included "this bill automatically expires in 10 years"
Just in case it ruffles feathers, it can include a "preferred merchants who bought their license before this bill, can get a pro rated refund for 1 month after it goes into effect". I am going to assume most will keep it since they are still getting a good discount on taxes.

The EWTC thus doesn't have as big an advantage over our local mechants anymore. But it still got an amazing deal and its not like having them located in our trade capital isn't useful
Also, we can wait a few weeks before making said cut, they will have already spent a lot on relocating so are less likely to back down.


>EWTC fox overheard our plan for the farmer commune.
We could scrap the plan entirely and come up with an alternative. But I think before we resort to it we should give the guy a personal visit. Congratulate him on his ballsy maneuver, explain to him that we will honor it, but what we are doing with the tax cut to decrease the gain a little. Also ask to speak with his partner too because they overheard something sensitive and you wish to make sure it doesn't go further and they aren't gonna do something stupid like blackmail you. Do reassure him that we aren't going to just make him disappear... unless they do try to blackmail you.
Oh, and ideally, we pull a doctor doom and be waiting inside his home when he comes to it. sitting on his comfy chair, eating his cake.


>Dwarves
1. they benefit from the above general tax break like everyone else.
2. we can "gift" them their preferred merchant license instead of making them buy it.
3. we can do deals where we barter with them X grain for Y stuff. initially do it for iron (to feed our magitech factgories) and catalysts. Eventually we want to get access to their more advanced alloys in weapon and armor form.
4. the dwarves as a nation buy food in bulk as a nation. This means that their end goal is to bring X tons of wheat to their nation. For an individual merchant, paying 12% tax in a good instead of coin has an identical end result. He made 12% less profit that trip. (although it is still annoying to them)
But for a nation trying to import a specific amount, a 12% loss of each ship's cargo means their fleet has to be larger 13.6% larger which means more overhead costs on the fleet maintenance.
Thus I propose that we create a new office whose job is to price "common goods" to allow merchants the option of paying their tariffs in either a % of their goods (as currently done) or in coin (based on the pricing of said office). This will be available to all merchants, but the dwarves in particular would benefit as they make purchases as a national entity to meet a certain quantity goal. We can also give the dwarves priority processing on having their goods be priced by that office. To guarentee that the goods they export as well as the grain they import priced in such a manner.
Also, unlike a blanket % discount on all trade they do, this doesn't let them exploit the market by say, buying spices from EWTC in Vitia and then reselling it to the locals at a lower price then local merchants while still making more money.


>The whole illusion trick
I will be honest, I was there in thread and even considered the idea for a moment. But like the mind control thing I shot it down because made assumptions on how illusion and mind control works based on our previous experiences. I assumed illusion was grossly impractical because of how our own ideas to use it were shot down as well as the fact that magic sensing is instinctive and how talon could even sense taira's illusion. but apparently taira is just not good at illusion, while ninja foxes ARE. So, that is fine, it was a learning experience and I got no hard feeling. I over estimated talon's passive detection, it happens, we learn.
We do need to beef security though. We should add a pair of foxes who specialize / get specific training in seeing through illusions in every cabinet meeting from now on. Maybe a disruptor fox to perform generic spell purges before the meeting starts (will also get generic spying spells and what have you). And when possible, have meetings with carnifex (the giant pseudopattern we got in ahm's pop who is actually specialized in people watching and personality analysis)

>The root cause of the commune
Interesting unintended consequence. We have created a class of both nobles and merchants who get a permanent annuity from the empire forever, for having had land which we conquered.
I came up with a solution to fix this in the long term.
1. We make this annuity tradable. People can freely sell their "shares" in it between each other. This means a person who is stupid with his property can lose it and his authority
2. We create a voluntary buyback program where the government can buy those shares people own. we only buy, not sell, and we price them at a semi generous (say, 10% more than similarly returning commercial investments). Eventually most of those will disappear over many years as people sell theirs back for
a. being pressed for cash
b. for more profitable investment. that is, if they sell shares giving 1000 coin per year to us, the lump sum of cash they get allows them to invest in stuff giving 1100 coin per year. Not everyone will sell of course, some liking the security. And some will buy it from each other for more than its "worth", again, for the security. But over time we will get those back and stop funneling taxes into private hands.