TITLE: Taxpocalypse Now
DESCRIPTION: After the institution of the 100% income tax on high earners, a coalition of angry ex-millionaires and executive board members alike have taken to the streets once again to protest against the decision, seeing major damage in @@CAPITAL@@'s Financial District. Despite your best attempts to gather your Department of Finance together for a meeting, interruptions are already being threatened there.
VALIDITY: Must have chosen Option 2 to Issue #018 AND must have chosen Option 2 to Issue #076 AND must hold elections
THE OPTIONS:
[option]First up, @@RANDOMMALENAME@@, a noted upper-class patriot who falls outside the 100% tax bracket by virtue of declaring an income of 199,999 @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@, walks into your office. He says that "If you don't give us a reprieve, then we'll have to channel money into our hidden Bigtopian bank accounts. That's damaging both on our economy and our morals - and we don't want another shambolic psyop from them come here. Do you remember how bad The Baker of @@NAME@@ was to your people? Exactly! Give me the money, or give them the opportunity to destroy our culture!"
[effect]@@NAME@@'s propaganda posters are widely regarded as the most expensive in the region
[stats]average income increases, average income of rich increases, culture increases, book publishing increases slightly, foreign aid decreases
[option]"Down with big business!" shouts @@RANDOMNAME@@, operator of Snax Barry, which remains open despite constant lawsuit threats. "If you gave big business money, that's BAD! If you give rich people money, that's even more BAD! If you protected us from lawsuits and mandated that a bit of the income of the rich people goes towards funding us, that's AWESOME!" They then end up seriously injured amongst the large crowds gathered outside your office.
[effect]The most popular shops are ones that parody the names of celebrities
[stats]average income increases, average income of poor increases, social equality increases, civil rights decrease
[option]Amidst a backdrop of booing noises, your Under-Over-Sideways Secretary of State and Overseas Colony for the Psychological and Physiological Resolution Reading Micro-Department of the Financing the World Assembly Resolution Reading Department butts in. He says that "If we cannot be trusted to treat people fairly, why not tax them out completely? Well, that would be a bad idea, so here's my plan: Force everybody in @@NAME@@ to pay 95% of income tax, then divert about 5% of that income tax to the World Assembly, then divert about 5% of THAT income tax to the WARRD... well, that'ld only be about 1 in 400 @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ given to us, but can't the rest be diverted so that we could lobby against those bad resolutions? You know, like the ones where we have to exist because a General Assembly resolution says we have to? I don't think I need to say any more."
[effect]@@NAME@@ is renowned for declaring war on nations solely to anger the World Assembly
[stats]average income decreases, pacifism decreases slightly, defence forces spending increases, arms manufacturing increases, weaponisation increases, government size increases slightly, wealth gaps level out to approximate equality, taxation rises to 95%
[validity]Must be in the World Assembly
[option]Amidst a backdrop of booing noises, your Under-Secretary of State for Finance butts in. He says that "If we cannot be trusted to treat people fairly, why not tax them out completely? Well, that would be a bad idea, so here's my plan: Force everybody in @@NAME@@ to pay 95% of income tax, then divert all of it to us, so that we can decide where to spend it? I know that this may sound stupid, but why force certain people to be much less equal than others? Think of all the people that we could extract more money from than before!"
[effect]A government crackdown on untaxed pocket money is underway
[stats]average income decreases, government spending on all departments increases slightly, government size increases, wealth gaps level out to approximate equality, taxation rises to 95%
[validity]Must NOT be in the World Assembly
[option]Just then, ex-millionaire @@RANDOMNAME@@ manages to enter via a series of supposedly hidden back doors. They complain: "I used to gain millions of @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ each year as the CEO of the @@CAPITAL@@ @@MAJORINDUSTRY@@ Company, but now I have nothing! I am getting utterly taxed out and, to say the least, quite annoyed! I have to beg on the streets to get even the essentials these days! I'll put it simply: Instead of diverting cash towards your sister's uncle's father-in-law's son's step-brother's nineteenth cousin's dentistry in Hugetopia, you can increase the number of tax-deductible items for us fallen tycoons, whilst maybe increasing the tax on what isn't tax-deductable. Because let's face it, nobody wants to survive on a diet of rainwater and roadkill. Now, I was wondering: Are there any traces of @@ANIMAL@@ meat on the floor that I can try to eat?"
[effect]@@NAME@@ is host to some of the biggest supermarket queues in @@REGION@@
[stats]economic freedoms increase, taxation increases, agriculture increases, manufacturing increases, eco-friendliness decreases
[option]A former felon who worked for the company run by the man who used to be @@NAME@@'s richest man before he had to give all of his money away in tax, and who cannot be named for legal reasons, then walks into your office. They hand you a copy of your last manifesto. They say that "This manifesto pledged that, and I quote, "Only @@LEADER@@'s administration will significantly reduce taxes on major earners". Yet you BROKE that promise! Liars have legacies, and your legacy will be that YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISES TO DRENCH THE LIFEBLOOD OF SOCIETY OF MONEY! At least give them a decent tax cut, and whilst you're at it, give the poor people a big tax hike. It's THEIR FAULT that they're poor, anyway!" They then leave in rage, putting a note on your desk: "Gone out to visit the local bank branch. Love, [REDACTED]."
[effect]ATM usage is at an all-time low
[stats]crime increases drastically, weaponisation increases, average income of poor decreases, average income of rich increases, economic freedoms increase
