9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
DrewInWisconsin ·
Oct 15, 2011 at 4:27pm
An amusing coincidence (or, perhaps, inspiration?). Turns out that when you start a new game of Sim City 4, the default tax rate is 9-9-9.
Long before Cain was running for president and getting attention for his 999 plan, the residents of SimCity 4 -- which was released in 2003 -- were living under a system where the default tax rate was 9 percent for commercial taxes, 9 percent for industrial taxes and 9 percent for residential taxes. (That is, of course, if you didn't use the cheat codes to get unlimited money and avoid taxes altogether.)
I haven't played "Sim City" since its second iteration: "Sim City 2000." So for those of you who have played, how's that default setting working out for you?
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Dec '10
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
I suppose that if gamers can crack molecular biology puzzles that baffle scientists, then why not solve governmental problems that beat the stuffing out of politicians.
Aug '11
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
Thanks for that reference. I was reminded of that as well.
Mar '11
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
No way, really!?
Wait, this might have potential! Perhaps he can recruit Sid Meiers to run the Office of Strategic Plans.....
Aug '11
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
Sim City, to my mind, is an excellent teaching tool; not just in showing that government has costs involved, but in demonstrating that someone has to pay for services. You can't just tax your people higher and higher to keep your city afloat because they'll just leave (along with the industries).
Perhaps more politicians would benefit from playing a computer game once in awhile.
Dec '10
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
Anything that distracts them from creating more legislation and regulation gets my vote.
Jan '11
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
When I used to play, the best tax rate was around 7%; otherwise people, companies, and industries would flee my city in pretty short order.
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
In Spore, a similar game (but in space!) there's 100% tax rates for all the planet-dwellers (that is, any sentient species). The inhabitants go to work collecting spices all day, and everything they collect goes directly to you. The only way to entertain the AI is by building them houses for entertainment.
Being a technocrat (or rather, dictator) is effective when programmed 3D people are involved.
We should have a Ricochet "Simulator Games Feed" where we compare these games to the current political climate.
Edited on Oct 15, 2011 at 6:02pmOct '10
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
Is this to suggest where a Cain staffer got hold of the idea and it took hold ?
Aug '10
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
I learned about the chilling effect of taxes way back in the days of the original Nintendo system, with a game called Overlord. Cash-strapped interplanetary conquerors could jack up the tax rates on productive planets, which gave a huge burst of cash in the next game period... but then the population abandoned in droves, shrinking the tax base, and ultimately lowering collections. IIRC the "stable" tax rate was 12%, which got you cash plus manageable population growth.
In other words, game makers have known about the tradeoffs between taxes, tax bases, and choking off productivity for decades. It seems only politicians can't get the idea through their heads, even with centuries of data (and the Laffer curve model) available to them.
Edited on Oct 15, 2011 at 11:20pmNov '10
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
Never played Sims City....only The Sims. Don't recall tax rates there. But in my favorite game, Pharoah, the default tax rate was 9 percent. Raise it and watch your citizens roll up their belongings in a mat and move away. Caused havoc. And they we not shy above voicing their displeasure.
Aug '10
Re: 9-9-9, The Tax Plan for Sim City!
My experience too.