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Swiss Bank Account

The Swiss Bank Account in Tropico 6.


Swiss bank accounts are bank accounts that are tied only to an account number instead of a person's name. This means that no one knows who the account belongs to except for the owner themselves, which grants great anonymity. This secrecy is a great asset as it protects the assets of people who are afraid of losing them in some way. Though it's an unintended side effect, that same anonymity means that Swiss banking is also favored by criminals, dictators, and other shady people who want to make and keep money they really shouldn't have, with popular culture playing into this image further.

Naturally, like any self-respecting dictator, El Presidente has his very own Swiss bank account and he is actually encouraged to go out of his way to fill it up with more and more money, as the size of El Presidente's Swiss Bank Account factors into the final score of the game and amassing a sizable enough retirement fund means that El Presidente will be able to financially secure himself for the rest of his life, even if he is voted out or violently deposed from his position.

In Tropico 6, the shady character “The Broker” runs your Swiss Bank Account and money housed in the Swiss bank account is referred to as "Swiss Bank Dollars" and is denominated as "S$" (The dollar sign preceded by the letter "S" (usually in red), to indicate funds earmarked for the Swiss bank account).

In Tropico 6, the Swiss bank account becomes available from the World Wars era onwards and there are several methods of accumulating Swiss Bank Dollars for it. The most ethical way is by having people donate to El Presidente directly at their childhood museum(s) and mausoleum, but there are also plenty of other, more corrupt options available which effectively allow El Presidente to take money straight from the treasury for themself;

  • El Presidente can run slush funds through banks to siphon money from the national treasury into their pocket
  • El Presidente can establish a Customs Office and use a "Special Tax" to steal some of the island's export earnings for themselves
  • El Presidente can establish a ministry and staff it with his cronies from the Broker to embezzle funds for their Swiss bank account
  • El Presidente can enact a "Special Building Permit" Edict which will increase all building costs and allow El Presidente to pocket the difference.
  • If there are enough criminals on the island, a Crime Lord will eventually appear. El Presidente can make a "Shady Deal" with Crime Lords, which makes them pay S$100 to El Presidente each month in exchange for gaining legal immunity from persecution.
    • This can stack quite effectively, making a Shady Deal with a Crime Lord tends to increase crime, which spawns in more criminals and eventually more Crime Lords, which can be subjected to the same deal, thus continuing the cycle. 100 Crime Lords on Shady Deal can produce 10.000 S$/month.

In Tropico 3, privatizing the island's industries will lead to them paying the island a set amount of rent and paying El Presidente 10% of their overall income. Kleptomaniacs will automatically earn money every year from stolen goods while excavating and selling off Ancient Tropican artifacts (3 or 4) will likewise also allow El Presidente to earn a profit for himself.

Effects[]

Money that finds its way into El Presidente's personal account (instead of Tropico's national treasury) is added to the final score of a game; having a sizable "retirement fund" means that an ex-presidente could potentially get a high score even if they were voted out or violently deposed from their position, as it means that they are financially secured for the rest of their life.

In Modern Times (Tropico 4), money in El Presidente's Swiss bank account allows them to take more corrupt actions, such as having sanatoriums brainwash patients, lacing the island's water with euphoric drugs, or commanding members of SWAT HQs to shoot criminals on sight. However, Swiss bank funds also influence how much revenue is generated by the Babel Tower and are required in order to upgrade the palace into a presidency.

In Tropico 6 the Swiss Bank Account now has a practical use as well, as El Presidente can use Swiss Bank Dollars to purchase Science Points, Raid Points, highly educated immigrants or extra money with their Swiss bank account money, as well as special actions such as bribing political factions for increased standing, staging political distractions or improved trade routes. Finally, El Presidente can also simply exchange some of their Swiss Bank Dollars to regular money for extra funds if needed.

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