Taxes in Korvosa

Nobody likes to pay taxes, and Korvosa's inhabitants are not exempted from this rule. Compared to other cities, however, the Korvosan government levies relatively few such fees against its citizens and visitors.

Taxes and fees

The first fees that visitors to Korvosa most likely encounter are its docking fees. Collected by the dock's owner, anyone docking at one of Korvosa's many private docks must pay a fee that ranges anywhere from 1 silver piece to 100 gold pieces, depending on the size of the vessel. Only around 20% of the fee goes to the Korvosan government; the rest is legally pocketed by the dock owner.

Property taxes are rather high and are based on the square footage of the structure's ground floor. A rather archaic method modifies this base rate depending on how many inhabitants the building accommodates, how many floors it has, and whether it is a mixed-usage building.

Korvosa's most recent taxes are its vice taxes, levied on any business that conducts illegal, non-violent activities (such as burglary, sale of drugs, etc). By paying this steep tax, these institutions gain either immunity from prosecution or a reduction in penalties, and the government gains a significant income stream. Violent criminals can never gain this type of exemption, no matter how high a vice tax they pay.