TURNTURNTURNA coinflip chooses BYou decide to stay here and deal with the gold issue, and also order the taxes to be collected two weeks ahead of schedule, which should give you enough leeway to come up with the 8 gold to pay Duke Wolstan. Your Tax Collector leaves to get it done, sending messages to your other vassals about the change in schedule.
2
A few days later, you receive the reply from Duke Wolstan. He flat-out rejects your request for extra time, and says it's your problem if you decided to experiment with a new way of collecting taxes that doesn't work. He also not so subtly reminds you that you shouldn't revoke vassal titles without due cause.
Well, it's lucky that you've decided to get going with that tax collection, then.
A week later, you meet with the Tax Collector and Steward again. "We've completed the tax collection in our lands, my lord. Total revenue from Tyneton and the outlying villages comes to 6 gold, double of last year's tax amount. These amounts were assessed from the recent Great Survey. The lands do have enough wealth to support this level of taxation, but it appears that private tax collection was taking a cut of the profits, as expected. The increasing prosperity of Tyneton also contributed to the greater tax revenues."
"A number of peasants and merchants alike are unhappy, though. They complain that changing the tax collection date on such short notice is unfair to them, as most had planned on a later date and had invested accordingly. Some of those we imprisoned for non-payment also took up this excuse, claiming that they would have had the means to pay their taxes if it was on the original date. You might want to consider their appeals."
"Baron Axel has sent in his 3 gold, and Dumedin Throvis his 3 gold too, although the latter also complains that arbitrarily changing the collection date is extremely bad for business. Merclefield has chosen their new baron, one Baron Ronan, but he sends word that he can't pay his taxes yet as he's still taking charge of his domains, and the town is still recovering from the siege. He does say he can pay by the original date, though."
"On the topic of your vassals, we have the surveys for the lands of Tronbury and Merclefield. According to our clerks, the rightful amounts due to you should be 5 gold for both demesnes, instead of 3 and 2 gold, even accounting for the barons' shares of the tax. There are a few things we could do here. We could demand the additional gold immediately. Or we could increase their tax amounts for next time, perhaps offering to extend the help of the Tax Bureau as well. Or we could do nothing, which would be the least likely to tread on any toes."
Approximate Tax Amounts:
To Duke Wolstan: 8
From personal holdings: 6
From Baron Axel: 3 (5?)
From Baron Ronan: 2 (5?)
From Dumedin Throvis: 3
Taxes are due twice yearly, in Late Spring and Late Autumn!
Treasury 17
"Our coffers now have 17 gold, more than enough to dispatch the tax caravan to Duke Wolstan next week," the Steward adds.
What should be done about the tax defaulters?
A) Release those claiming to be able to pay on the original date, and collect from them then
B) Don't release them, it sets a bad precedent to accept these excuses
What should be done about the tax amounts for Baron Axel of Tronbury?
A) Increase taxes for Baron Axel to 5 gold, and ask for the 2 gold shortfall
B) Increase taxes to 5 gold for next time
C) Increase taxes for next time, and offer the help of the Tax Bureau to collect them
D) Don't increase taxes
And Baron Ronan of Merclefield?
A) Increase taxes for Baron Ronan to 5 gold, and ask for the 3 gold shortfall
B) Increase taxes to 5 gold for next time
C) Increase taxes for next time, and offer the help of the Tax Bureau to collect them
D) Don't increase taxes