Guide
Money: taxes, budget, loans and debt
Every building has a daily bill. Keeping the city solvent is less about one clever tax rate and more about matching what you build to what the city can pay for.
Income
Taxes are the backbone of the budget. Blockline taxes residential, commercial and industrial property separately, and each rate can be set anywhere from 0 to 25% in the Finance app. Higher rates bring in more now but cool demand for that zone, and a heavy residential rate also costs happiness. Because lots only grow when there is demand for them, an aggressive rate can quietly stall the very growth that would have raised more money.
The rest of the income comes from the city's activity:
- Tolls. Each toll booth earns up to $40 a day from passing traffic, and all booths together earn at most $0.25 per resident.
- Freight and exports. Stations, docks and airports move freight, and resource chains sell their surplus on the exchange (see farms and trade).
- Visitors. Attractions draw tourists who spend money in the city, and a hotel earns from those who stay the night. Attractions never earn more than their own upkeep; they are there for land value and happiness.
- Venues. Show takings at the music venue and the annual festival's profit go to the treasury (see venues).
The best long-term income is a growing, employed population in tall buildings. Cleaner industry pays more tax per lot, which is one reason to modernise it (see industry and upgrades).
Spending and departments
Every building has daily upkeep, shown on the build menu before you place it. Civic buildings, plants and stations are grouped into 7 departments: police, fire, health, education, transport, parks and utilities. Each department's funding can be set from 0% to 150% of standard.
The trade-off isn't symmetrical. Below 100%, the effect falls in step with the money and each building's reach shrinks. Above it, extra money buys only half as much again.
| Funding | Costs | Effect | Service reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0% | 0% | 75% |
| 50% | 50% | 50% | 88% |
| 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| 125% | 125% | 113% | 103% |
| 150% | 150% | 125% | 106% |
Two less obvious effects: transport funding changes how much traffic roads carry and how fast construction crews work, and every department's funding sets how fast its buildings and networks wear out (see construction and maintenance). Cutting a department to the bone saves money today and costs more in renewals later.
Tip. Before raising taxes, look for buildings that cost upkeep and serve nobody: a second water tower on a network that was never short, or a station nobody can reach.
Debt
The treasury can go below zero, but it hurts quickly:
- The moment the balance is negative, construction stops. The build menu refuses with “City is in debt”.
- Over the next 7 days of debt, department funding is capped down towards 50%, utilities are cut and happiness falls.
- Climbing back above zero lifts every penalty at once.
Debt is usually the end of a slow slide rather than a sudden event, so keep an eye on the daily balance in Finance, not just the treasury.
Loans
Loans are the controlled way to spend money you don't have yet:
- Borrow from $1,000, with up to 3 loans at once.
- Total borrowing is capped at $5,000 or 30 days of income, whichever is more.
- Interest is 0.1% of the balance a day, and each loan repays itself in equal instalments of principal over 240 days.
- Paying a loan off early costs the balance plus 2%.
As an example, a $5,000 loan pays $20.83 of principal a day plus $5.00 of interest on the first day, with the interest shrinking as the balance falls. That payment comes out of the daily balance for the whole term, so a loan only makes sense when it buys something that earns or saves more than it costs: industry that raises the tax base, a connection that unblocks a district, or a bridge over a bad patch while a charter grant is on its way.
Tip. A loan buys time, not a surplus. Fix the daily balance first, then borrow.
Grants
Each charter you complete pays a grant, and the grants grow with each chapter. They are the biggest single payments in a guided city, so plan expensive builds around them rather than borrowing. Charters and research lists every chapter and its grant.