We are playing in a campaign that revolves around each character being the king of a small island country. So far we have used 3 sources: 2nd edition Birthright, Fields of Blood and Dungeoncraft from Dragon #293 by Ray Winninger. So far they have been helpful but the differ very much concerning tax collection. What other sources would you recommend taking a look at?
Eric's point is a good one: what role will the income play in the story? If it's just background, let the "royal advisors" take care of it and give them a stipend. If they want more, let the advisors say "sure", but make it clear that they risk upsetting their subjects with their extravagent demands...
IRL, a big limitation on taxing (and the like) was the shortage of tax agents and the like. That limitation was a big reason that monarchs tended to grant exclusive trade rights (and the like) to one organization/ guild-- so they only had to audit one group, and they could let the guild enforce its exclusive contract.
-- Scott
I went crazy with "and the like". Please forgive me...
To reply to the comments made,(and thank you). I would like to have the decisions made by the king mean something. Whether it is putting funds into a road or building up the navy, each should affect the kingdom. 2nd edition Birthright is quite a bit all over the place with prices. A palace costs between 10 and 30 thousand gp. So I was looking for something more 3rd+ edition with much of what Birthright did. Ray Winninger's article was good but did not provide enough information.
You might want to consider looking at Power of Faerun or the Stronghold Builder's Guide.
