Tax Percentage

[amirapp 0]

Here's the way I set my taxes:

R$ - 8,5% R$$ -8,8% R$$$-9,1%

C$-8,2% C$$-8,4% C$$$-8,7%

(industrial) I$-8,6% I$$-8,7% I$$$-8,9%

Are those okay? I don't want to set my taxes too high because I don't want my people moving out from my city. But I keep having deficits every month and it makes my city poor and poorer. Well, I can always use cheats but I don't want my city to use cheats all the times. Thank you.

[Eʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ 273]

Those numbers are fine. As long as you see growth, the tax rate isn't too high. Usually if I'm playing the game without cheats I will set my tax rate to about 10 - 11 % and don't believe it hinders growth really. Anyway, give that a try and see what you think. If your city is still running into debt each month try expanding a lot slower and adding infrastructure only when necessary.

If you need any more help feel free to ask.

- Cheers!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Well, everyone knows that I am a festina lente advocate. (That's a Latin aphorism and it means "make haste slowly").

I don't run my taxes at anything other than default (9%) for the first four Sim-years unless there is some particular skew I want to set on the city. This gives enough time for normal development, but not in a hurry. I insist on being profitable as soon as possible.

At the end of four years, or later if I forget, I set I-D to 20%. This has the effect of stopping I-D growth immediately, and causing them to slowly move out while I harvest their taxes. This period usually allows the setting up of several ordinances starting with the Smoke Detector Ordinance and the Neighborhood Watch. At the same time, profits permitting, I set the farm taxes to 7%. This is more realistic as farms are usually subsidized.

As time goes on, with careful development, I find I can start reducing taxes, thus increasing demand, by 0.2% across the board except for the special classes above. My cities usually develop profitably and sometimes spectacularly with just a little stimulation. Tax drops when possible to keep the profit level from becoming obscene.

I guess you could call me a benevolent filthy capitalist.

[mrbisonm 1,620]

After eight years of intensively playing SC4, here is what I came up with best. I have been using successfully these taxsets in ALL my 57 regions with more than 950 citytiles.

Like Moose explained so well, I start slowly with taxes of 9% for all, except for I§, which is set at 7%, since farming is what I like most growing (see my CJ at SC4D). After 4 to 6 years I start raising the taxes by .5 % each year, which the Sims totally accept without making a difference. Then at the city-age of around 8 to 10 years, I have my taxset as shown below.

Believe me, that it is the best (for my gameplay) that I have found within all those years of experimental playing. I wanted to make money the real way and not left behind wondering if the budget breaks down with the years. Sometimes I raise the taxes for almost a year or so, especially when I need some extra income quickly, all around 13 to 14 %. That will give my budget a little boost here and there, but if I keep them up like this, then I will see changes, which I don't like.

You may have noticed that the I-D is more than 13%. This is simply to avoid to have too much dirty industries in my town/city, which somehow slows down developments of the R§§ and R§§§. After a certain time I will even raise the I-D to 14.9. This way it will bring me more income for a short time, while they slowly develop into I-M. Over 15% they will totallly stop growing or change into a higher grade if zoned so.

mrb

  Edited September 19, 2011 by mrbisonm  

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Interesting. Whatever works is the real answer. Everyone develops his own.

[memedoug85 36]

One of the first things i do when establishing my cities is raise the ag tax to 14% - takes up too much room!

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

One of the first things i do when establishing my cities is raise the ag tax to 14% - takes up too much room!

Simpler to use the moolah command for money. I always run on hard with a starting treasury of 500000. My tax rates on my main city right now are 8.8% across the board and will be lower still. I-D is taxed out at 20% however, and the farms are at 7%. You don't need to starve your cattle.