Does anyone have an idea about how the taxation of trade routes is done in the Star Wars universe? Is there such a thing? How, exactly, is it done? Where? When? I see the taxing of trade routes referred to in many places, but have yet to see how it is done. I suppose ships could just wait around for people to show up and board them like pirates. Or, gravity wells could pull ships out of hyperspace, then use tractor beams,as well. So then you must have papers? So, people would pay before they endeavored on a route? Planetary blockades?

Probably done like most taxes and just added into legal transactions, removed from pay automatically and forwarded to the revenue people.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hyperlane

Hyperlanes were routes through space in which a spaceship could safely travel without colliding with a body in space, or some other phenomenon such as a black hole.

Established routes are purposely used to avoid gravity wells. So there won't be any accidental falling out of hyperspace. Now, if someone got hold of an Interdictor, that's another story.

In many parts of the galaxy hyperlanes also involved periodic re-entry into realspace. This was so as to manually maneuver the ship towards the next hyper-point. It was in these spots that pirate raids were common.

This is more of what you may be looking for. Routes don't always lead directly from A to B in a perfectly straight line. You have to zigzag your way across space, sometimes maneuvering around those celestial bodies in order to keep going. These chokepoints would be where the pirates set up shop.

The Galactic Empire and other governments often sought to lessen this threat by constructing deep-space platforms at hyper-points.Mine fields and probe droids^[2] were also deployed.

However, once these chokepoints become popular, they will (hopefully) be more thoroughly enforced and defended.

The ship will have a manifest, detailing the cargo, where it was purchased, who sold it, who bought it and so on. The Cargo will have it's own manifest, and these have to match up. Port authorities in the destination will check your records, snoop around your crates a bit, charge an import duty, and send you on your way.

Now then, If you show up with cargo that's registered to a different ship, or a ship registered to a different owner, or get caught trying to trade Mos Eisley Moonshine with some swamp people without stopping at proper port, you better have your bribe money ready.

I always assumed that a percentage of every reported transaction at legal facilities are taxed to the Empire. Or the Hutts in their space. Or the CSA in their space. And so on. And then a good portion of these taxes are used to fund customs officials and offices and ships to enforce the accurate reporting of transactions. And then seizures of illegal or inaccurately reported or unreported transactions get re-purposed or auctioned off or whatnot, and the income from that complements the taxes. And due to the inefficiency of this system, I assumed that the taxes were ridiculous, giving a reason for the seeming prodigious numbers of semi-legitimate merchants and the like. The kind of system where small independent operators have to cheat a little to scrape by, and large corporations get all the kickbacks and tax breaks to keep the wheels turning.

Pretty much every cent of tax we pay as individuals is done automatically with zero input. In the US you might have to make up some shortfall in income tax, but other than that, every other penny is collected by merchants and companies and sent off to the appropriate revenue agency on your behalf.

The idea of full-on piracy, blockades, or customs patrols in space is something of a scale / scope failure.

Space is far bigger and ships far smaller than Star Wars seems to depict, or most authors understand.

The idea of full-on piracy, blockades, or customs patrols in space is something of a scale / scope failure.

Space is far bigger and ships far smaller than Star Wars seems to depict, or most authors understand.

Like playing some of the space MMOs these days, where you can wander aimlessly for days and never run into another player.

"Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space."

- Douglas Adams

Then there are all sorts of fees that you might pay when you arrive at a space port or space dock, some of which might be import duties or taxes, etc….

Basically, every form of tax collection that has ever been used on this planet is probably currently in use somewhere in the Star Wars galaxy. More automated methods would be used in more civilized areas, and more manual (and violent) methods might be used in the Outer Rim.

Then there are all sorts of fees that you might pay when you arrive at a space port or space dock, some of which might be import duties or taxes, etc….Basically, every form of tax collection that has ever been used on this planet is probably currently in use somewhere in the Star Wars galaxy. More automated methods would be used in more civilized areas, and more manual (and violent) methods might be used in the Outer Rim.

"Yes, sir, there is a 12 percent tax on the starship wash today. Why? Well, they say the Empire's building something. If you ask me, though, Lord Vader needs something replaced."

Probably done like most taxes and just added into legal transactions, removed from pay automatically and forwarded to the revenue people.

Pretty much every cent of tax we pay as individuals is done automatically with zero input. In the US you might have to make up some shortfall in income tax, but other than that, every other penny is collected by merchants and companies and sent off to the appropriate revenue agency on your behalf.

Not likely. They aren't using PayPal, and such, in the SW Universe. Just can't Google stuff up or transfer money across the universe, I think. This sounds more like interjecting OUR systems into a different world. We're used to swiping a A Visa or MasterCard anywhere coast-to-coast and I'm afraid we just tend to apply those principles where it just does not happen that way. Bradknowles is more correct. In highly civilized societies it might be automatic, but most places won't have it that way.

Probably done like most taxes and just added into legal transactions, removed from pay automatically and forwarded to the revenue people.

Not likely. They aren't using PayPal, and such, in the SW Universe. Just can't Google stuff up or transfer money across the universe, I think.

No but you can certainly bill at the port when things are loaded, handled, unloaded.