Ink Tax

Ink Tax

The Ink Tax was a form of levy imposed in the Kingdom of the Rock during the late Age of the Andal Invasion, introduced under Tommen Plumm, Magnar of the Rundridge Duchy, Keeper of the Royal Treasury, and Royal Architect. It was a surcharge placed upon all official written documents, ostensibly to cover the cost of parchment, ink, and scribal labour. In practice, the tax functioned as a lucrative revenue stream for both the Royal Treasury and the Faith of the Seven, which controlled most of the literate scribes of the period.

Origins

The tax emerged from Tommen Plumm’s efforts to introduce Andal methods of counting and recordkeeping into the largely illiterate and orally driven culture of the First Men nobility. In an age where written text was still considered unusual, the Ink Tax provided a means to formalise and monetise the growing use of written contracts, charters, and proclamations.

Implementation

The levy was charged on a per-document basis, with rates varying depending on the length and complexity of the text. All documents subject to the tax required authentication by Tommen’s personal seal, kept at Plummstone Hall in Lannisport. The Faith’s septons often acted as scribes, ensuring the documents carried religious as well as legal weight.

The Septons and Septons would charge a fee for their service which would go into funding Septs and thier Missionaries

Much like the Criminal Organisations the Ink-Tax functioned somewhat like Protection money, wihtout a sanctioned seal your wares would be waiting thrice as long, Storage would cost doubly so and the wares would be damaged by Vermin and Weather

Social and Economic Impact

Over time, the Ink Tax became associated with status and prestige. Only nobles, wealthy merchants, and the Faith itself could afford to commission written documents, making their possession a symbol of influence. The system bound the mercantile and noble classes more closely to both Tommen’s authority and the Faith’s scribal monopoly.

The tax also contributed to the gradual spread of literacy among the nobility of Tommen’s domains, as the ability to read official documents without relying on intermediaries became increasingly advantageous.

Legacy

His Succesor would be caught between two worlds one clinging to the customs of the First Men, the other loyal to systems Tommen built with Andal ink and Faith-sanctioned parchment. Neither side would fully trust the new hand on the kingdom’s coffers.

Many First Men lords opposed the system, viewing writing as a foreign Andal custom unsuited to the traditions of the Kingdom of the Rock. Despite this, Tommen’s successor as Steward chose to preserve his reforms, recognising the Ink Tax as both a profitable revenue source and a means of strengthening the realm’s administrative efficiency. While traditionalist opposition persisted, the new Steward believed in the Vision of his Predecessor