Economy of the Liamist States

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The economic system in place for the LSE is essentially a free market capitalist one, with several safeguards built in to ensure the greed of corporations do not tread on consumers, workers, competition and the environment. These are protected so that the economy may serve the Liamists to raise their standard of living, not the other way around.

Currency

The currency of the LSE is the Ch-ching (CHC). While Liamopolis and Liamton have their own floated versions of the currency, the Liamist States' Ch-ching is the most widely used in all three nations and is considered universal legal tender.

Exchange rates:

  • 1 Liamist States CHC = ~$1.70
  • 1 Liamopolis CHC = ~$1.45
  • 1 Liamton CHC = ~$1.20

Corporations

As with any concentration of power, Liamists are suspicious of corporations and what they may actually intend to do. Under Right 20, the Liamists are guaranteed a competitive market which outweighs Right 21 which guarantees profit generation. As such, this sets the scene for the Liamist corporate world.

Anti Monopoly Commission

The Anti Monopoly Commission (AMC) is an organisation designed to prevent monopolies from crushing the free market.

The basic idea is that if, in a given industry, a corporation exceeds a pre-determined amount of marketshare, that corporation is forced to split into two separate entities. The AMC’s duties are to measure market share, force corporations to split, ensure they stay split and arrest any boards who choose not to follow. The AMC is indeed a powerful organisation and is often the subject of Anti Corruption Commission investigations.

Many corporations avoid this regulation by trading customers like one would trade shares and by owning a corporation in each of the regulated industries. This means that eight to a dozen corporations actually run the hundreds of businesses in the regulated industries. This offers a good balance between competition and market stability.

Liam & Co

Liam & Co is a corporation run by Liam. It is a corporation with its fingers in every industry who is the government’s nominated Yardstick Corporation, which is the subject of special corporate legislation. As the Yardstick, Liam & Co is exempt from AMC investigations and offers low, competitive prices for its products. However, Liam & Co must pick up any slack for when a competitor goes bust but must also agrressively trade away its customers to newly formed competitors. Its size and industry control fluctuates with the success of others. It ideally keeps industry prices low.

State

The Liamist government only owns a handful of corporations. Among these are:

  • Liamist Defence Corporation: Defence contractors.
  • Liamist Power Transmission Corp: Responsible for the transmission of electricity from power generators to distributors. Owns all power infrastructure.
  • TeleLiamist: Responsible for all telecommunications infrastructure.
  • Liamist Water & Waste: Pumps water into homes and takes all the wet waste out.

Private

Almost all services, other than government watchdogs, criminal and corporate courts and government and emergency services, are privately owned businesses. Liamists buy water and food from corporations. Liamists buy electricity from corporations (although lines and trasnsmission is a government responsibility, as it is for water). Liamists take their small claims disputes to private courts (one that both the plaintiff and defence agree to) and so on. Private corporations in given industries are subject to AMC investigations.

Economic Protectionist Laws

Liamists understand that the economy comes second to people and these laws are legislated because of that fact.

Environment Protection

These laws prevent corporations from destroying the environment. They are based on sustainable development ideas.

Competition Protection

These laws give the AMC their power.

Consumer Protection

These laws stop corporations from screwing over consumers while giving consumers a choice. It mostly revolves around advertising regulation and the placement of warnings on products.

Worker Protection

To prevent the stereotypical working class treatment associated with capitalism, these laws ensure workers are protected. They tackle industrial relations laws and benefits, such as minimum wage.

Tax

The United Nations claim that the average income tax rate for the Liamist States and Liamopolis is 100% and for Liamton, 84%. These high tax rates are, of course, impossible and a result of the way the UN calculates tax (it includes money paid to state- or Liam-owned organisations, of which Liam & Co is one, and excise).

The LSE maintains a flat income tax of around 16% - 20%, depending on seasonal events and Treasurer. However, this tax applies to all income from any source. For every five Ch-chings any Liamist, or any profit made by a corporation based in the Liamist States, receives in a year, usually one has to be paid to the government. The only exceptions are those with no or very limited income who are reliant on fiscal security department vouchers. Due to an efficiency consultancy being called in every two years after an election, these low tax rates and high quality public service are made possible by a huge GDP, small personal budgets for politicians (from which their salary comes) and a clean, non-bureaucratic system of distributing funds.

The only other source of tax is from excise. While the government is not allowed to ban any products per se, one of the methods to make a product unpopular is to attach a huge excise on it. The government takes this excise money and usually distributes it into better education or social justice programs.

Examples of currently excised products:

  • Meat - 25% per kilogram.
  • Alcoholic drinks - 150% per 10g of alcohol.
  • Coal-based electrictiy - 200% per kWh.
  • Fast foods - 200% per gram of fat over 12g per product (does not include condiments).
  • Private vehicles - 200% per hundred kilograms of weight, 200% per litre of fuel used per 100 kilometres.
  • Oil-based fuels - 250% per litre.
  • Tobacco - 250% per 5g.
  • Cannabis (sativa only)* - 300% per 2g.
  • (Meth)Amphetamines* - 400% per safe hit.
  • Coca (and derivatives)* - 600% per safe hit.
  • Poppy (and derivatives)* - 1000% per safe hit.
  • Weapons (and ammunition) - 5000% per unit.

*The non-recreational uses of these products are not excised. Ironically, rehab programs are included in this.

The Liamist States does not use any tariffs or other protectionist measures against foreign products to generate funds but merely taxes their profit made in the LSE.

List of Liamist Companies

NOTE: This is not an exhaustive list.

Automotive

  • Manufacturers
    • CNX
    • Donha
    • Forwarde
    • Merkandes
    • Modeni
    • Ranger
    • Varied Motor Enterprises (VME)
    • Wreno
    • Yotaya
  • Tyres
    • Austin
    • Calare
    • Corangamite
    • Dickson
    • Farrer
    • Menzies

Financial

  • City Bank
  • Credit Fairville
  • Liam & Co Banking

Industrial & Agricultural

  • Agricultural
    • AgCorp
    • Liam & Co Farming
  • Chemical
    • ORK15
  • Manufacturing
    • Liam & Co Manufacturing

Media

  • Corporations
    • Liam & Co Media
    • Liamist States Media Corporation
  • Magazines
    • Feminist Monthly
    • Masculinist Monthly
    • Soccer & Babes Magazine
    • Soccer Monthly
  • Newspapers
    • CDL Courier
    • Canterbury's Cockerel
    • CDL Courier
    • The Hoist (Hilles)
    • Liam & Co Media
    • Liamist States Times (Media Corp)
    • Liamopolis Observer (Media Corp)
    • Oxford Daily Herald
  • Radio
    • Triple N FM (Media Corp)
  • TV Networks
    • L&CTV
    • LSTV
    • Liamist States Medievil Network
    • Liamist States Multilingual Network

Utilities

  • Electricity Production
    • Australaville Coal Producers Group
    • Liamist NRG
    • Nuclear Energy Corp
  • Electricity Retail
    • Liamist NRG
  • Telecommunications
    • Speedy Post
    • TeleLiamist
  • Water Production
  • Water Retail

Technology

  • Computers
    • Howler-Packington
  • Electronics
    • Presie Electronics
  • Technology
    • Kilbane Tech
    • Liam & Co Technology

Transport

  • Airlines
    • AirLiamist
    • Liam & Co Airlines
  • Trains
    • Liam & Co Trains
    • Liamist Train Services
  • Miscellaneous
    • MegaBarges Co
    • Trenton ImEx

Miscellaneous

  • Blue Steer (Energy drinks)
  • Bullseye (Retail chain)
  • Koola Kola (Soft drinks)
  • Liam & Co Pharmaceuticals
  • McBurgers (Fast food)
  • Narcos (Narcotics suppliers)
  • Spirits.com (Online alcohol retail)

More Information

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