“If the tariff is sufficiently high, they shall find themselves unable to compete with the homesteaders,” Timor replied. “Besides, why should we concern ourselves with them? They have been growing fat from their profits in our marketplaces, and in the absence of local competition, they have been able to control the prices, which has driven up the cost of food here in the city. The tariff would not only stimulate crop production, it would bring about lower prices for produce, and thereby lower the price of meals at food stalls and at the city’s inns and taverns. That is something the people would certainly support.”
“The idea has merit,” said Sadira thoughtfully. “However, you neglect the fact that there is still not enough fertile land to go around:”
“There is more than enough to make the city self-sufficient in terms of farm-grown produce,” Timor said. “And it is only fitting that those who had the foresight and industriousness to take advantage of the program first receive the greater rewards. For those who have delayed in taking advantage of the program, there will still be jobs as laborers on the homestead farms, once they start to make a profit. Or else they can take advantage of our second proposal, which will create a new program to address the very issue you just raised.
“Under this new program,” Timor continued, “loans would be made from the city’s treasury, at a modest rate of interest, to anyone who will homestead in the valley for the purpose of raising herds for marketing in Tyr. These loans could be used to purchase beasts in our own markets that would serve to start the herds, and for those taking advantage of the program, there would be a one-time exemption from the market tax. They could then raise z’tals or kanks or crodlu for our army, bring them in to market here in Tyr, and use their profits to pay off their loans in reasonable installments. As with those who participate in the homestead plan, they would be exempted from the tariff and this would assure a ready market for their beasts.”
“But what is to prevent them from marketing their beasts elsewhere?” asked another council member.
“Absolutely nothing,” Timor replied, “except that it would be more convenient for them to market them in Tyr. The expense of driving their beasts to market elsewhere would eat into their profits, and they would be forced to compete with herdsmen from the outlying areas in the tablelands, who would be seeking other markets to avoid our tariff. And, as with the farmers, these herdsmen have driven up their prices due to lack of competition. This plan would serve to give a profitable livelihood to many of the former slaves, as well as lower the prices for meat animals and such to a more reasonable level. The herdsmen in the program would be making money, and the people of the city would be saving money. Everyone would be well pleased, and the new government would be lauded for the new prosperity.”
“Much as I hate to admit it,” Rikus said, “these proposals make a lot of sense, at least on the surface. However, what stops free citizens of Tyr from taking part in the programs and shutting out the former slaves?”
“What if they do?” Timor replied. “Our goal is to diminish the ranks of beggars, whether they be former slaves or not. If these programs reduce the number of beggars on our streets, or cut down on thievery by granting livelihoods to those driven to steal out of desperation, no one would complain. And if some of our citizens leave their jobs to take advantage of these programs, then that would leave openings that could be filled by former slaves. The point behind these proposals is that Tyr must become more self-sufficient if our city is to survive. We must import less and export more. And to that end, I make a third proposal, and that is to grant tax credit to anyone who chooses to start a new industry in Tyr that would employ citizens and provide products for export. We have, for example, greater resources in iron than any other city, yet those resources have never been properly exploited.”
“But if we made all these loans out of our treasury and granted all these tax credits, that would cut into the city revenues,” said Councilman Kor.
“Only for now,” Timor said. “Our revenues would fall in the first year, yet the moment the participants in these programs started to turn a profit, the loans would start to be repaid, and revenues would continue to increase, because we would have more and richer taxpayers. That is the beauty of the import tariff. We create, in effect, a new tax that does not affect our citizenry, and we demonstrate our concern for their welfare by exempting them from it. In part, this new tariff will compensate for whatever short-term revenue losses we may incur through the creation of these programs, but in the meantime, the remainder of our tax structure remains unaffected.”
“But what about these tax credits you have proposed?” Sadira said.
Timor shrugged. “They are merely one-time credits, and they add incentive to get the programs started. Once they are underway, we shall be seeing increased revenues as a result. Meanwhile, we announce that instead of increasing taxes to deal with our current problems, we have decided to freeze them at their current rate, so as not to place an added burden on our people, and even use available tax revenues to create new jobs. Once those jobs have been created, they increase our revenues without the odious necessity of having to raise taxes. The council will have held firm, demonstrated its concern for the people, and increased tax revenues in a manner that would be all but unnoticeable.”
“It sounds dishonest, somehow,” Rikus said, scowling.
“Oh, forgive me. I thought we were discussing ways to save our city from destruction,” Timor said dryly. “I was unaware that we had elevated this discussion to the morality of Tyr. I fear I did not come prepared to propose measures to address that concern. Besides, I think you will find that is a rather low priority among our citizenry. The people do not want honesty and starvation. They want the semblance of honesty and food. If you tell them the truth, they will lynch you every time.”
“Leave it to a templar to shade the truth,” said Rikus sourly.
“Trust a templar to know the truth has many shadings,” replied Timor with a smile. “If I may continue, I have one final proposal, and it addresses the issue of Tyr’s human and demihuman resources.”
“Goon!” Sadirasaid.
Timor nodded. “I am sure you will agree that the greatest asset of a city is its people, and that any governing body would be wise to exploit that asset to its fullest potential. Regrettably, we are denied the full value of that asset because some of our citizens choose to hide their light under a basket, or perhaps, to put it more appropriately, they keep it underground.”
“You are referring to the Veiled Alliance?” asked Councilman Kor.
“Precisely,” Timor said. “Now, in the past, the templars and the Veiled Alliance have been at odds politically, as we had served a defiler sorcerer-king and they are all preservers. Or so they claim, at least. Those political differences no longer exist. Kalak is no more, Tithian is gone, and this council has no quarrel with the preservers. There remain, however, certain compelling reasons for the Veiled Alliance to remain veiled, as it were, and chief among those is the antipathy of the people toward magic-users.”
“Can you blame them,” Rikus said, “when magic has brought our world to ruin?”
“Perhaps,” said Timor with a shrug, “but that is an arguable point. There are those who blame so-called ‘defiler magic’ for the ruin of Athas, and exempt those who call themselves ‘preservers,’ when the fact is that both use the same magic. And it is debatable whether it was magic that was responsible for turning our world into a desert, or the science practiced by our forebears. For that matter, certain natural conditions over which no one had any control may well have been responsible. However, that is not the issue. Whether rightly or wrongly, most people have come to believe that magic is immoral because it destroys natural resources, and they condemn all magic-users as a result. One can certainly contend that such an attitude is manifestly unfair to the preservers, who make a virtue of following the Druid Way and see themselves as custodians of nature rather than exploiters of it.”