Should I always have low tax rate?

[Bigmilkysuwu]

It seems like in the long run you should always have low tax but I'm no total war expert, so to all the experts, what do you think?

[massai11]

Check the city details to see how content the people are. You can always tax higher until they get unhappy. Wait to long and a riot will happen, in which case a rebel army will form just outside the city. You don't want to loose troops fighting rebels. So, just adjust tax according to the happiness of the people. If they become unhappy you'll have some time before a riot so if you really need money you might be able to milk it for a few turns before a rebel army appears. Also, if they are unhappy, you can keep adding troops in the city until the threat of a riot goes down. Just play around with it.

[AzureButterfly]

When I'm able, I try to keep taxes low, especially for the cities with lower population or ones I'm trying to raise up to huge cities/citadels. I'm no expert on the games either, but guides seem to suggest that the lower tax rates pay for themselves in the long run, since trade begins to bring in more income as the population increases. Naturally though, there will be those times where you're strapped for cash, fighting an unplanned war, for example, so it's good to adjust it as the need changes.

[ranger0440]

in my opinnion, if your playing a short campaign then yes. long, then no. population in the late game can become empire ruining as squalor increases. even with the plague wiping people out its nearly impossible to keep it in check without razing your own cities.

[merlinfire]

i set the ai to automanage taxes. its a part of the management i find annoying. ymmv

[pixel_rice_bowl]

Originally posted by KoV littleneo12:

It seems like in the long run you should always have low tax but I'm no total war expert, so to all the experts, what do you think?

Generally, I would say no. It's best to have a combination of various tax rates. A few considerations:

1. The larger the city, the more building options you have. It's worth having some higher tier buildings later in the game, since these produce some of the best units and much higher quality agents (compare a priest with a bishop, for example), not to mention some of the best money makers (ports, wharfs, etc.). Keep taxes lower in cities where you're trying to obtain the best blacksmith, market, etc.

2. Related, the larger your population, the larger your tax base. A low tax on a huge settlement will give you much more revenue than a high tax on a tiny settlement. I wouldn't put taxes so high that they put growth below 1%, since that will hurt you in the long run. You'll need a larger tax base to support expansion in mid- to late-game.

3. As mentioned, growth can become a problem later, and suppressing growth through higher taxes is a useful strategy. Enormous cities will become more burdensome than not if you let too many of them grow unchecked--you'll spend a lot of resources on happiness buildings and garrisons, and risk revolt if too many agents spread dissent there.

4. Characters can gain positive or negative traits based on the tax level in a city. I forget what triggers the various attributes (either completing a building or training a unit--I don't recall), but you generally want your administrator to sit on a city with a high or very high tax rate in order to generate some of the best management traits, which can let you have high taxes, high growth and high public order all at the same time. Sometimes you can get some pretty good traits if you keep taxes high while the population is blue (disillusioned).