Today CCP ended the tax holiday in EVE Online. Of course, the devs didn't just revert the sales tax and broker fees in NPC stations. A few changes were made.
In the Grand Heist release, the base Sales Tax and Brokers Fee in NPC stations were each cut in half, going from 5.0% to 2.5%. In place of the previous numbers, taxes will be changing to the following structure:
Base Unmodified Taxes:
- Sales Tax: 2.5% -> 8.0% (Previously 5.0%)
- Brokers Fee: 2.5% -> 3.0% (Previously 5.0%)
- Total Taxes: 5.0% -> 11.0% (Previously 10.0%)
Minimum Taxes (Modified by Skills, Standings, etc.):
- Sales Tax: 1.125% -> 3.6% (Previously 2.25%)
- Brokers Fee: 0.5% -> 1.0% (Previously 3.0%)
- Total Taxes: 1.625% -> 4.6% (Previously 5.25%)
This change shifts a higher percentage of the tax division toward the sales tax instead of on the order placement, permanently reducing the cost-pressure associated with listing orders by moving the cost into the sales tax taken out upon purchase by another player.
If I were cynical, I'd say that the push of funds is an effort to cater to people buying ISK through the PLEX system.
Just for fun, I looked up the changes implemented during the Blackout in the summer of 2019.
Changes to sales taxes and broker fees:
- Maximum Sales Tax increase from 2% to 5%.
- Minimum Sales Tax increase from 1% to 2.25%.
- Maximum Brokers Fee increase for NPC stations from 3% to 5%.
- Double the total maximum taxation from 5% to 10%.
- Increased total minimum taxation on NPC structures from 3% to 5.25%.
- Increase the minimum taxation on player owned structures by 125% from 1% to 2.25%.
Changes to tax associated skills:
- Accounting – Increase in reduction of sales tax from 10% per level to 11% per level.
- Brokers Relations – Increase in reduction of costs associated with setting up a market order from 0.1% per level to 0.3% per level.
The total benefit from skills will increase from 2% (current benefit) to 4.75%, which translates to a total tax reduction (including standings benefits) of 47.5% instead of the current 40%.
Since the pre-Blackout era two years ago, the taxes at NPC stations have changes as follows:
Base unmodified taxes:
- Sales Tax: 2% -> 8%
- Brokers Fee: no change at 3%
- Total Taxes: 5% -> 11%
Minimum Taxes (Modified by Skills, Standings, etc.):
- Sales Tax: 1% -> 3.6%
- Broker Fee: 2% -> 1%
- Total Taxes: 3% -> 4.6%
I'm not sure how much of a benefit to the economy the overall tax hike is in increasing the ISK sinks. I also don't know enough to know the impact on citadel owners who use their structures as market hubs. But I assume the taxes serve as a cap on what players can charge in citadels. The next few days listening to the talking heads in the EVE media on the subject should prove interesting, if not enlightening.
