An Open Letter to Council Candidates.

Egon the Monkey

2008-08-04 08:41:42 UTC

[posted around Upper on notice boards]

Prospective Councillors,

I ask that you make a promise, if elected, to repeal or alter a law that has stood too long on the books as an obstacle to budding traders, novice adventurers looking to sell spare equpiment, and the like.

I refer of course, to the law against selling in public places. For example, the oft-rented Merchant's Guild stall in the Marketplace. Is this a stand on public property, or is it a private place of business exempt from the law? I have heard folk queried several times about licences while selling under stalls in the market.

Is the aim of this law to keep the streets from being blocked up with trade discussion, or just to collect an income from those without the wit or willingness to move inside the Stand to trade with a customer?

As you may have noticed in the tone of certain recent sendings, this combative attitude to merchants is driving business down to Lower, as the greater risks become offset by the greater freedoms.

As a minimal counter to this, I would ask that candidates show their support for the continued prosperity of Upper by vowing to designate the Market a Free Trade Area where the street trading regulation does not apply. This would enshrine in in law its status as a place of trading, while keeping the main streets from being filled clogged with calling peddlers. Such an oath would win great support from the small-time merchants and occasional private sellers of the city.

Egon Rosenqvist, Bard and occasional wand crafter.

Egon the Monkey

2008-08-07 10:46:13 UTC

#168366

[an addendum is fixed below] After Sgt. Everard's response, and discussions with several prospective Councillors, I felt it best to clarify a few points.

"The law against selling in public places is installed for a reason. It is designed to counter the uncompetitive disadvantage merchants who own land incur from taxes, every two months. "

Merchants who own property have a place to store goods, live, place whatever signs they wish and be a known and reliable location. They are taxed on the property, the same as for any citizen with land. They do not incur any extra taxes for using said property for business.

"This law works to foster a more competitive and fair trading environment for all citizens."

This theme is repeated several times by the Sergeant, but he never explains how incurring an up-front cost of 300 gold encourages merchants to compete in the Market. As it stands, there is but one rentable stall, so competition is limited to the one trader operating it at any given time.

"Abolishing this law will only mean less city funds."

The Sergeant is the only man I have ever seen request a licence before trading. I've never seen a merchant produce one. I would be interested to know the Council's revenue off these in the last term, as I highly doubt it is significant. A less conditional and costly levy would bring in more funds overall as it would be both harder to avoid, and not worth the effort.

I ask you to consider this before taking the word of a self interested merchant, who still avoids paying taxes through a hopefully soon to be fixed loophole.

There is no "loophole". Selling on private property is no use of Council property and therefore the council has no business charging for such. They already gain income from the owner, who can ask merchants to leave or charge them as he wishes. As for "self interested", well, I can avoid that tax just fine within the law, by selling on private property or outside Sanctuary boundaries. My concern is for up and coming traders without such knowledge.

There is a price for security, and it is through taxes that we are able to have an organised defence.

Taxes should be fair and proportionate. A tax to place posters selling wares on a public board would not affect opportunists looking to sell spare equipment as they go. It would, however, be a fair levy on organised traders such as myself who are willing to pay for sendings and the like.

Or, a much reduced tax of fifty to one hundred gold to sell only in the market would encourage competition there.

Of course, I would reckon the most acceptable solution for the Council's coffers would be many more stalls for hire in the Market, provided by the Council itself. All hire revenue goes to them, the market bustles with sellers, and the Solicitor's Licence reverts to what it should have been in the first place. A way to keep merchants off random street corners, and into a trade district convenient for all.

-Egon Rosenqvist.