Taxation and Fees
Government plays an important role in society. It is the main instrument of collective action towards a common vision and shared interests. So even within this migrocosm that is only a figment of the imagination, the government services still needs to be supported by financial contributions from its many inhabitants:
- All working citizens with daily income of more than $100 must pay 10-20% income taxes. The tax dollars are managed by Irene Revenue of Sim State Bank. Pension for retired elders are exempted. Ms. Irene Revenues is in charge of collects and manages the tax revenues. 50% of the government saving will be deposited in SimStateBank as reserve fund, 50% of the government saving will be made Sim State Council which will vote on various public projects and budgets.
- All citizens must pay property transaction tax of $1,000 upon purchasing or selling of real estate, unless the transfer takes place among household members. A legal consultation fee of $500 must be made to the state-authorized legal consultation film.
- Marriage license: $100
- Wedding party cost: $250 + $100 per attendance
- Birth certificate: $100
- Automobile registration and tax: $100
- Car insurance as determined by registered owner: $50 for elder, $250 for adult, $500 for teenagers
- Burial at public cemeteries: $750
- Newspaper delivery is $100 + $50 for megazine
Sims make their deposit at Mandala City Bank, which then invests 50% of the total deposit through student loans, mortgages, and business loans to qualified applicants, or purchases of real estates. The government imposes a tax of 20% on the bank's earning. The remaining 80% of the bank's earning would be distributed to each household's deposit as interests. The interest rate for deposits would vary depending on the economic conditions.
The following are criteria for loan approval by Mandala City Bank:
- Student Loan: a GPA of 2.0 and above
- Mortgage: 20 x the total daily reportable wages for the household
- Business loans: 20 x the total daily reportable wages for the household
- up to 50% of household saving to people they are infatuated with at 0% interest. logic is out of the window when love is concerned.
- up to 75%, 50%, 25% to their children outside of the household at 0% interest with whom they are best friends, good friends, or simply friends
- up to 50% to their best friends, 25% to their good friends at varying interest rates.
All high-paying Maxis career tracks require college degrees and appropriate college majors. A career track is open to a job seeker only if the top of the specific career track is not already occupied by a playable sim. The exceptions are as follows:
1. when the person at the top has never had the lifelong aspiration associated with the career but the job seeker does.
2. when the job is offered through social network, or inherited from parents or grandparents who are at the top of the career track.
Without proper educational background and social network, or by personal choice, a sim may earn income through the following avenues:
1. work as gardener, maid, social worker, exterminator, farmer, handman (custom careers)
2. self-employed in one's own businesses
3. work as employees in other sims' businesses
4. fish and farm
5. make and sell arts and crafts items,
6. fix and sell cars or toys
7. write novels or articles for megazines
8. give on-line financial advices
9. invest in stocks
