Great Charter of Eridanus

Government policy

The Empire rules lightly, walks softly, but carries a big stick. Accordingly planetary governors will be left alone so long as they improve the economy and safety of their planet for the benefit of all; and subjected to sanctions if they do not. The proof is in the pudding. Houses will be held to account for the actions of “their” governors.

The Golden Rule


• **The Golden Rule has been repealed.

  Guidance to new governors: where a governor chooses to deviate from policy, their House would be wise to subsidise the planetary budgets to compensate for any potential ill effects. To avoid… misunderstandings… it would be VERY wise of Houses publicly to advertise all details of such deviant governors IN ADVANCE.

  Against Houses of misfeasant governors, the Emperor may choose to stay action. Otherwise, no sanction is ruled out and no limit is placed. By way of examples: policing may be withdrawn; planets may be taken out of Imperial Jurisdiction; military coups may be executed; all House facilities on a chosen planet may be eliminated.

• **Houses should be aware the Emperor’s minions monitor changes in tax receipts from month to month on all planets. This rarely leads to direct action; however, inferences will be made. On one occasion tax receipts nose-dived by between 15% and 48%, averaging 30%, on six planets of the Empire during a month in which the galactic average actually *rose* 3%. These were the six worst falls that month. As it happened *ALL* six planets were under the control of a single House. Such Houses can expect to be viewed with great disfavour.

Budget Investment - general


• **Houses concerned about the economy and level of crime on particular planets should publicly petition the planetary governor responsible. If boosts are needed, ruling Houses are free to top up budgets from their own funds (in special cases imperial subsidies may be available). Houses caught with Imperial tax collection budget set to less than 20% risk being declared renegade.

  Budget investment – Imperial planets
  

For planets under the control of the Imperial House, Houses should publicly petition the Emperor. Budget adjustments may be made, and/or subsidies granted, according to merit and resources. The Emperor will give a general indication as to his response.

Tax burden


• **Tax rates should not be set at a ridiculously low or high level. Governors should be guided by the tax rates present on economically similar planets controlled directly by the Emperor’s house. Recommended rates are 0-2500 15%, 2500-5000 20%, >5000 30%; alternatively a flat tax rate of 25%.

• **Houses caught with planetary budgets for Imperial tax collection set to less than 20% risk being declared renegade.

  Sphere tax discrimination
  

  Imperial tax policy may favour spheres for particular reasons. Otherwise if Houses feel that particular spheres need tax assistance/rebates, they should hold a public debate on the subject, including a reasoned case as to its purpose and how the budget shortfall will be made up. Apart from technical comment the Emperor generally will not participate in such debate but may act on it if the case seems exceptionally strong.

  Tax structure
  

  The Empire takes no view on stepped versus flat-earth taxes.

  Tax exemption
  

• **By default the Empire disapproves of tax exemptions and will not award them, even to the Emperor’s House. .

  Tax withholding
  

  Taxes are the source of planetary budget investment as well as interplanetary security and the cohesion of the Empire. It is the economic, military and social duty of all Houses of the Empire to pay all levied taxes at all times. This is an unrebuttable presumption and includes the Imperial House. In an Emperor-defined emergency, such as a demented planetary governor, the Emperor may choose to permit limited non-payment of taxes. Otherwise any house withholding taxes may expect Imperial military sanctions without warning.

• **Monopolies
  

  By default the Empire used to disapprove of monopolies (because of their effect on infrastructure) and would not award them. However given recent changes to galactic culture and economic theory this is now relaxed. There will be no restrictions. This position is experimental; however the Emperor takes the view it is ideally the job of responsible Senators, individually and collectively, to regulate trade monopolies, and will continue to take this view until and unless Senators prove themselves irresponsible.

  Piracy
  

  The Empire will not condone piracy and will do what it can to provide security for affected trade routes. Houses suffering from piracy should inform the Emperor, with details, without delay. Any house found to have indulged in piracy may expect military sanctions without warning.

In response to circumstances, generally commercial operations, these may be created and altered as time goes on as guidance for other Houses. If a House notices a deviation from an established policy it is welcome to point it out to the Emperor, following which either the deviation or the policy will be corrected.

Military Policy


The requirements of Imperial security outstrip the capacity of the Imperial tax base. Accordingly House Constantine, beyond its own taxation contributions, also contributes to the recruitment and maintenance of military forces and installations as a gift to the Empire.

Research Policy


House Constantine policy is to give a research concession to all minnow Houses who ask for it. This is not an Imperial policy and so does not bind other Houses.

Budget Subsidies Policy


• **since changes to galactic economic theory, House Constantine no longer supplements all the budgets of all Constantine governors on non-rich planets.

  Senate Policy
  

  House Constantine policy is to support Constantine or allied candidates on all planets within range of homeworld. However see the next section.

Subsidies for Minnow Houses


Imperial policy is to give a small subsidy to all minnow Houses that ask for one.

Imperial Senate Policy

Where a house feels itself wronged in any way, a proper (often *the* proper) place to debate the matter is in the Imperial Senate (ooc: this is purely to improve RP, if you can't persuade a senator don't worry)

The Emperor appreciates Senate participation is costly yet wishes to encourage it. Accordingly, Houses going into politics should contact the Emperor to discuss ways of securing a first seat.

The Empire disapproves of Houses that unbalance the results of elections by suddenly building any public works, or other facilities in large numbers, during an election period. Disapproval may take many forms but in extreme cases the Empire may correct the situation by executing a military coup followed by calling a new election.

The Empire generally disapproves of ordinary Senate motions proposed and seconded with less than 12 clear days to debate them, i.e. after the 8th of the month. Such motions will carry less authority than they would deserve on the merits.

Espionage


Because of the intimate connection between the Emperor’s House and the governance of the Empire, covert operations targeted against the Emperor’s House are deemed subversion of the Empire and are prohibited. In return, the Emperor’s House will not place any spies in any non-renegade House without that House’s prior permission.

Plague


If plague appears on any planet all transport and mercantile facilities on that planet must be dismantled immediately. From 5 days after the appearance of plague, standing Imperial orders authorise any house to dismantle remaining transport/mercantile facilities by means of sphere-specific military operations (obviously prospective dismantlers must ensure they can overcome any defences!) Any legal consequences will be corrected after the fact. The Empire will subsidise such operations, lift renegade status of dismantlers where consequent on the dismantling, and pay compensation to the house whose facilities are thus destroyed. This applies even where the dismantled facilities are owned by the Emperor’s House.

Imperial Guard


The Emperor cannot be everywhere at once, nor can he exert direct military control over more than half the Empire. Nevertheless he is sworn to protect the Empire beyond the range of his House; he must do so; and he will do so. The means he has chosen for this is the Imperial Guard.


Members of the Imperial Guard are expected to support Imperial policy, vote for members’ political candidates, defend members on their homeworld and (on request) provide reasonable local military assistance to the Emperor. In return the Imperial Guard is under the Emperor’s especial protection and guarantee. Impoverished but strategically important members may receive concessions and imperial subsidies including “loaned” legions from the Emperor.

Minnow houses may become members only in exceptional circumstances.
Members may freely leave but are expected to refrain for one year from forming or joining another alliance.

The foregoing should be read as a working draft and the Emperor reserves the right to change it without notice.

The Golden Rule was a policy that Emperor Thomas Constantine implemented that ambiguously stated that if a governor did not run his planet in a way that Constantine interpreted as optimal, then the emperor could ask the governor to resign, and without cooperation, to forcibly remove the governor. The golden rule applied to virtually every aspect of planetary governance. Thomas "looked down on" any government action that was done without prior consent of the imperial house, including budgetary changes, tax rate changes, monopolies (these were completely banned in some instances), and tax exemptions.

After the galaxy wide economic panic that decimated many houses in the galaxy, the Golden Rule was relaxed, and eventually repealed.

• Establishment of the Triumvirate
  

• The Illegitimate Coup