Aid
As you grow in Utopia, you will find that your Kingdom is like family. You share a special bond with them that makes their success just as important to you as your own might be. Provinces are welcome and encouraged to assist either other in times of need. Provinces can also use the Aid System to create their own barter commerce - trading food for runes or gold, and so on.
However, there are some taxes associated with Trade. Unfortunately, this is simply a reality of the Utopian World -- the Lords use these taxes to supply some of the services they offer and enforce the regulations they set. Your province maintains a Trade Balance that records the history of aid you have sent and received. Each time you send an Aid Shipment to a fellow province in your Kingdom, you will be given a Trade Surplus as described below, and the recipient will receive a Trade Deficit. Each day, a small portion of your trade balance will naturally be forgiven. You can find your current tax rate on shipments being received within your Aid Page.
Aid: The Trade Balance
Your province maintains a Trade Balance that records the history of aid you have sent and received. Each time you send an Aid Shipment to a fellow province in your Kingdom, you will be given a Trade Surplus, and the recipient will receive a Trade Deficit. Your Trade Balance is determined on this basis:
Resource Trade Value
- Gold: 1gc
- Food: 0.2gc
- Soldiers: 100gc
- Runes: 3gc
Each day, a small portion of your trade balance will naturally be forgiven so that aid will be forgotten over time.
Aid: The Trade Tax
Trade recipients are taxed based on their accumulated Trade Deficit - Trade Surpluses are not taxed. The Tax Rate is based on the province's relative Networth and Trade Balance, and will simply confiscate a portion of the traded goods. Tax takes effect once your negative Trade Balance reaches 400% of your Networth.
Aid to needy provinces is sometimes exempt from taxation. If the receiving province has been hurt significantly in recent days, aid may face a reduced tax rate (down to a minimum of 15%). This aid still accumulates in the Trade Balance of both parties. Also, if the province is below the average networth of the Kingdom, then the tax rate is calculated on the average kingdom province networth.
