[DRAFT] Cutting to the Chase

[Alt Capitalist Britain]

(An opposite to #24, which asks which industry gains more funding (or none if the tax cut if chosen), the issue asks which industry will gain less money in response to a tax cut.)

Title: Cutting to the Chase

Description: To the joy of the citizens, your government has decided to announce a tax cut. The big question is, which department will lose money?

Validity: all nations

Option 1a: Multimillionaire @@RANDOMNAME@@ enters your office with a briefcase filled with @@CURRENCY@@. “Abolish Welfare. It’ll hurt the poor, yes, but those lazy bums are contributing nothing anyway, and removing their support will make them either get a life for once or die trying. Darwinism at its finest.”
Effect: The homeless starve with now unemoloyed welfare workers.
Validity: nation is Capitalist

Option 1b: Your Secretary of Labor proposes, “Comrade, am I glad to meet you. We’ve made a Worker’s Paradise of a nation, it’s about time we relax on some of the regulations, right? How about slashing the welfare budget and using the money for the tax cut and giving those affected jobs. With more workers, what could possibly go wrong?”
Effect: All @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ are equal, but some are more equal than others.
Validity: nation is Socialist

Option 2: “Yes, and how about executing the poorest of the poor while you’re at it?” sarcastically remarks Farmer @@RANDOMFIRSTNAME@@, who has made a scarecrow out of the blue. “If you go along with that plan, @@NAME@@ will dissolve into an oligarchy filled to the brim with corruption. If you wanna proceed with cuting taxes, then cut away some useless environment regulations that are driving my farm out of business!”
Effect: Pristine forests are being destroyed and turned into farmland.

Option 3: “No way, man. Don’t harm Mother Nature.”, says the surprisingly chill Environmental Minister, placing a wreath with a peace sign on the scarecrow’s chest. “Why don’t we chillax the military and law force a bit? They’re getting a bit too huge for comfort, and cutting some of its funding won’t hurt, won’t it?”
Effect: The nation’s lush fields and small military attract foreign powers.

Option 4: “No, you blithering idiot! You probably know NOTHING about modern politics!”, barks your Minister of Defense, placing a novelty pistol on the scarecrow’s right hand. “We’ll all be dead before you can even say ‘give peace a chance’! If anything, it’s those nerds in the Education Department who need to get less money!” @@HE@@ then grins menacingly and pats your shoulder, “Besides, who would even want to challenge your wisdom if your greatest adversary is an ignoramus who doesn’t know basic arithmetic?”
Effect: The government has proclaimed that ‘Ignorance is Strength’.

Option 5: “This was a horrible decision in the first place!” yells radical pro-spending advocate @@RANDOMNAME@@, who begins setting up a line of books. “We need more taxes, not less! If we proceed with cutting taxes, the @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ will beg for less taxes again! Then, we run out of money to do anything and will be defenseless against crime, turning our nation into an anarchy! Then Bigtopia sees the commotion and invades us! Do you want @@NAME@@ to turn into an anarchist Bigtopian puppet?! Repeal that announcement and raise up the taxes! Otherwise you will start a chain of events, like this!” @@HE@@ topples the books like dominoes, and the last book topples the scarecrow, which shatters one of your antique vases upon falling.
Effect: @@NAME@@ has begun thinking of 100% Tax Rate.

Description: After an anti-government spending protest went out of hand and started a fire in @@ANIMAL@@ City, your @divsors have suggested taking funding from one government sector for a tax cut to try and calm the situation down.

Validity: all nations

Option 1a: Multimillionaire @@RANDOMNAME_1@@ enters your office with a briefcase filled with @@CURRENCY@@. “Abolish Welfare and trust the private sector’s generosity. It’ll hurt the poor, yes, but those lazy bums are contributing nothing anyway. They'll get jobs for once or die in the streets. Free-Market Darwinism at its finest. If that doesn’t convince you, maybe this briefcase of @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ will.” @@HE@@ offers his hand, expecting you to shake it.
Effect: @@CAPITAL@@ is surrounded by squatters.
Option Validity: nation is Capitalist

Option 1b: Your Secretary of Labor proposes, “Comrade, am I glad to meet you. We’ve made a Worker’s Paradise of a nation, it’s about time we relax on some of the regulations. How about slashing the welfare budget and using the excess money to give those affected jobs. With more workers, I promise you that our economy will skyrocket far past the filthy capitalists.”
Effect: All @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ are equal, but some are more equal than others.
Option Validity: nation is Socialist

Option 2a: “How about none of that Welfare for the Well-Off?!” rants left-wing talk show host @@RANDOMNAME@@, waving a sickle at @@RANDOMNAME_1@@. “If we’re gonna be cutting taxes, how about taking back the money those corrupt corporations fleeced from the taxpayers by stopping the gravy train of these corrupt fat-cats? For far too long, the bourgeoisie have been sucking away hard earned @@CURRENCYPLURAL@@ with those disgusting Subsidizations! End Corporate Welfare and make these capitalist pigs pay up as punishment for leeching on our collective toil!” @@HE@@ pauses, glaring daggers at @@RANDOMNAME_1@@. “By any means necessary..”
Effect: Cash-strapped CEOs have resorted to garage sales to stay in the black.
Option Validity: Nation is Capitalist

Option 2b: “The Minister of Labor can be so naive at times.” sighs your Minister of Social Welfare. “Ending Welfare to create jobs is good on paper, horrible in practice. Just look at Tasmania. They abolished welfare to cut taxes, and they dissolved into civil war. Instead of chipping at the cornerstone, how about we remove that redundant Business Subsidization, which does nothing but stain @@NAME@@ with capitalism and adds yet another layer of paperwork to deal with.”
Effect: Bureaucrats take a sigh of relief as their taxes and paperwork are cut.
Option Validity: Nation is Socialist

Option 3: “Yes, and how about printing boatloads of money while you’re at it?” sarcastically remarks your Minister of Finance, who has made a scarecrow out of the blue. “With all due respect, those two know absolutely nothing about economics. Going with either of their fruitcake plans will collapse @@NAME@@‘s economy overnight. If you wanna proceed with cutting taxes, then cut away some useless environment red tape that strangles our glorious economy.”
Effect: Factories inch dangerously closer to @@NAME@@‘s endangered species.

Option 4: “No way, man. Don’t harm Mother Nature.”, says the chill Environmental Minister, placing a wreath with a peace sign on the scarecrow’s chest. “Why don’t we chillax the military a bit? They’re getting a bit too huge for comfort, and cutting some of its funding won’t hurt, won’t it?”
Effect: Foreign powers jokingly call @@NAME@@‘s territory ‘free real estate’.

Option 5: “No, you blithering idiot! You probably know NOTHING about modern politics!”, barks your Minister of Defense, placing a novelty pistol on the scarecrow’s right hand. “We’ll all be dead before you can even say ‘give peace a chance’! If anything, it’s those nerds in the Education Department who need to get less money!” @@HE@@ then grins menacingly and pats your shoulder, “Besides, who would even want to challenge your wisdom if your greatest adversary is an ignoramus who doesn’t know basic arithmetic?”
Effect: The government has proclaimed that ‘Ignorance is Strength’.

Option 6: “This was a horrible decision in the first place!” yells radical pro-spending advocate @@RANDOMNAME@@, lining up books leading to the scarecrow. “We need more taxes, not less! If we proceed with cutting taxes, the @@DEMONYMPLURAL@@ will beg for less taxes again! Then, we run out of money to do anything and will be defenseless against crime, turning our nation into an anarchy! Do you want @@NAME@@ to turn into an anarchist wasteland?! Repeal that announcement and raise up the taxes! Otherwise you will start a chain of disaster, like this!” @@HE@@ topples the line of books, with the last book making the scarecrow fall onto your antique vase.
Effect: @@NAME@@ has begun thinking of 100% Tax Rate.

[Australian rePublic]

The government has decided to cut taxes. Why?

[Alt Capitalist Britain]

The government has decided to cut taxes. Why?

Currently thinking on an anti-government spending protest gone wrong. Further Context may also be added
(Current Sample: In response to a protest to lower taxes that accidentally caused a fire in @@ANIMAL@@ City, the @@DEMONYM@@ Government has announced a tax cut.)

[Verdant Haven]

The government has decided to cut taxes. Why?

Currently thinking on an anti-government spending protest gone wrong. Further Context may also be added
(Current Sample: In response to a protest to lower taxes that accidentally caused a fire in @@ANIMAL@@ City, the @@DEMONYM@@ Government has announced a tax cut.)

In setting up the issue, one should avoid declaring that the government has already made a policy decision. Policy decisions don't get made without the player's input, and something like a tax cut would be a statistical change resulting from a player action. One could certainly say that a tax cut has been recommended to the govm't, or that various parties are campaigning for a tax cut, or even that an erroneous news report claiming such a decision was made has resulted in public celebration that leaves you stuck deciding if you're going to actually do it or risk pissing everybody off. What we can't do is say that it has been done.

[Alt Capitalist Britain]

Currently thinking on an anti-government spending protest gone wrong. Further Context may also be added
(Current Sample: In response to a protest to lower taxes that accidentally caused a fire in @@ANIMAL@@ City, the @@DEMONYM@@ Government has announced a tax cut.)

In setting up the issue, one should avoid declaring that the government has already made a policy decision. Policy decisions don't get made without the player's input, and something like a tax cut would be a statistical change resulting from a player action. One could certainly say that a tax cut has been recommended to the govm't, or that various parties are campaigning for a tax cut, or even that an erroneous news report claiming such a decision was made has resulted in public celebration that leaves you stuck deciding if you're going to actually do it or risk pissing everybody off. What we can't do is say that it has been done.

Alright then. Onto Sample 2:
"After an anti-government spending protest went out of hand and started a small fire in @@ANIMAL@@ City, your advisors have suggested a tax cut to try and calm the situation down. The big question is, which sector will receive less funding?"