Tax Collector

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Desktop/Console/Mobile-Only Content: This information applies only to the Desktop, Console, and Mobile versions of Terraria.
Tax CollectorHardmode exclusive
Tax Collector.png
Map Icon Tax Collector.png
Map Icon
Statistics
Type
NPC
Environment
The Underworld Valid house
AI TypePassive AI
Damage10
Max Life250
Defense15
KB Resist50%
Drops
Sounds
Hurt
Killed
A player purifying a Tortured Soul with Purification Powder.

The Tax Collector is a Hardmode NPC that taxes other housed NPCs to earn coins for players. He is first encountered as the Tortured Soul, a rare Underworld enemy. When Purification Powder is used on it, it will transform into the Tax Collector. If the Tortured Soul is killed, it will still be able to respawn afterwards; if the Tax Collector NPC is killed, he will move in again after some time as long as there are vacant houses.

When the Tax Collector is present, 50 will be earned per real-world minute (each in-game hour), for each NPC that has a house (including the Tax Collector himself but excluding town pets[1]). The Tax Collector stores these funds, up to 25. Speaking to him will reveal the amount stored thus far, and offer the option to collect. His tax limit (as well as his current funds and how much he collects per minute) varies depending on his current happiness; thus, how much he earns per minute will be between 33 and 66, while his limit will be between 166666 and 333333.[2]

The Tax Collector will attack nearby enemies with his cane to defend himself.

Living preferences

BiomeNeighbor
Lovesn/a
Dislikes
Hatesn/a

For more information, see NPC happiness.

Shimmered form

Tax Collector (Shimmered).png Map Icon Tax Collector (Shimmered).png
Shimmered Tax Collector and his Map Icon.

When submerged in Shimmer, the Tax Collector will transform into his Shimmered form. This has no impact on gameplay or dialogue and is only a visual change. He can be returned to his classic look by submerging him in Shimmer again.

Notes

  • The Tax Collector is the starting NPC in Don't dig up worlds, and one of the starting NPCs in Get fixed boi worlds.
  • Funds can be collected at any time, and do not require a minimum amount stored.
  • When the Tax Collector's maximum storage is reached, he will not collect any further coins until the player collects from him.
  • Time passed using the Enchanted Sundial counts towards his total.
  • Time passed using the Journey Mode time menu counts towards his total.
  • In multiplayer, each player's earned taxes are separately maintained, and collecting has no impact on another player's payout.
  • The Tax Collector can be teleported using the King Statue.
  • He will not participate in Parties, or even wear a party hat. However, it is still possible for him to throw a party.
  • The Tax Collector will keep the debuffs inflicted on him as well as (in Expert Mode) any dropped coins he picked up when changed from a Tortured Soul into himself.

Tips

  • With 20 town NPCs, the Tax Collector will collect 10 every minute, collecting 240 per in-game day.
  • When searching for a Tortured Soul, make sure all minions are dismissed so they will not kill it. Note that a Tortured Soul can respawn like any other enemy if it is accidentally killed.
  • Bringing some Purification Powder when going to kill the Wall of Flesh for the first time will let the player recruit the Tax Collector almost immediately after starting Hardmode, even before returning to the surface or breaking altars.
  • For most of the game progression, the only way to maximize his happiness is to put him in the Snow Biome with the Merchant and Party Girl; unfortunately that will make both of them unhappy. The Party Girl can be replaced by the Princess later.

Names

The Tax Collector may have any of the following names:

  • Agnew
  • Blanton
  • Carroll
  • Chester
  • Cleveland
  • Dwyer
  • Fillmore
  • Grover
  • Harrison
  • Herbert
  • Lyndon
  • McKinly
  • Millard
  • Ronald
  • Rutherford
  • Theodore
  • Tweed
  • Warren
  • Woodrow

Quotes

Interaction quotes

    • "Must everyone open and shut doors so incredibly noisily around here?!"
    • "I see you're free of time, as usual. Can't imagine what work life would be for your kind of folk."
    • "...two barrels of molasses, plus -- Oh, nevermind that, you're here. Here's your money."
    • "What does a man have to do to be left alone in this place? Go bugger someone less busy!"
    • "You again? Suppose you want more money!?"
    • "Yes, yes, yes! -- I'll give you your share in just a moment. I'd think you to be a bit more patient, what with me doing all the work and all."

    When Merchant is present:

    • "I just came from <name of Merchant>'s. He wanted to know if I took credit cards."

    When Arms Dealer is present:

    • "Go tell <name of Arms Dealer> to stop offering to pay me with ammo, I don't even own a gun."

    When Dryad is present:

    • "Tried to get <name of Dryad> to pay me with favors once, now I have fungus growing in strange places."

    When Demolitionist is present:

    • "Why don't YOU try collecting money from <name of Demolitionist> and not lose a hand or foot or..."

    During Rain :

    • "Humbug! Someone tried to tell me they saw a fish walking on land. Who do they take ME for?!"
    • "Why can't it be raining gold coins!? Water is everywhere! Bah, how useless!"

    During a Thunderstorm:

    • "A marvelous storm! A remarkable storm!"
    • "I am as giddy as a drunken man! I love this weather!"

    During a Windy Day:

    • "Just because your house blows down, doesn't mean you stop paying taxes!"
    • "Bah! If this wind keeps up, people will lose their precious possessions and stop paying me!"

    When in a Graveyard:

    • "Death and taxes, nothing more sure in life than that!"
    • "The people here aren't paying up! They are better off dead! Oh, perhaps they already are."

    When the player clicks "Collect" and money is collected:

    • "Here's your cut of the taxes that I've taken from our surplus population!"
    • "Here you are again, taking all my coin! Just grab it and begone from my sight!"
    • "Bah! Here, take your shillings and get out of my sight!"
    • "This is all you're gonna get for now, not a penny more! Take it and spend it wisely."

    When the player clicks "Collect" and there is no money to be collected:

    • "...And people call me greedy? No, I have nothing else for you."
    • "Oh, so you just see me as a coin sign, eh? 'Cus every time you see me, you ask me."
    • "Don't you ever stop just to say 'Hi?'"
    • "Bah! You again? You just grabbed some of my coin just moments ago, so bugger off and come back later!"
    • "I just gave you half a crown five minutes ago! Scram!"
    • "Reaching into my moneybags again already!? And you call ME greedy."
    • "You just received your pay, and not a farthing more! Get out!"
    • "Money doesn't grow on trees, so don't overpick my fruit! Bah! "
    • "You already managed to spend every pence I paid you!? Bah, I'm not a charity, go kill a slime!"
    • "Not so fast! You got your money, now begone! "
    • "Begging so soon?! Don't look at me like I'll have a change of heart overnight! "

    • Happiness quotes

  • When homeless:

    • "How can a man of my riches have no home? Preposterous!"

    When neutral:

    • "What? I AM in a good mood."

    When far from home:

    • "Bah! I'm trying to make my way back home to count my money. Begone!"

    When in a sparse area:

    • "Finally, isolation from all these miserable peasants!"

    When overcrowded:

    • "I'll have you know, I dislike neighbors!"
    • "Go tell all these miserable poor freeloaders to scram, I hate crowds."

    When in a Snow biome:

    • "Living in the Snow forces people to stay indoors and leave me alone. I find that pleasant."

    When in the Hallow:

    • "What kind of irritating place is the Hallow? Poppycock, I tell you!"

    When in an Evil biome or the Dungeon:

    • "Even for my standard, the Corruption/Crimson/Dungeon is beyond miserable! Bah!"

    When near the Merchant:

    • "I highly admire <name of Merchant>. Anyone who knows the true value of money earns my utmost respect!"

    When near the Party Girl:

    • "Exuberant people tend to give me a headache, but somehow I actually like <name of Party Girl>. I must be losing my mind!"

    When near the Demolitionist:

    • "<name of Demolitionist> is just too noisy, away with them and their ilk!"

    When near the Mechanic:

    • "<name of Mechanic> is just too noisy, away with them and their ilk!"

    When near Santa Claus:

    • "I loathe the very existence of <name of Santa Claus>! What kind of lunatic just gives things away for free?"

    When near the Princess:

    • "<name of Princess> shouldn't pay taxes, she's the princess... but she insisted."

    • Trivia

    • The Tax Collector is a reference to Ebenezer Scrooge from the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is a greedy, grumpy old man with a cane and top hat, mutton chops, and a hunched back. Many of his quotes are references to the story. Additionally, this is why he prefers the Snow biome, dislikes Christmas and hates Santa.
    • The Tax Collector's potential names are all names of well-known U.S. politicians, most of which were at one point president or vice-president.
    • The Tax Collector not participating in the Party event, is almost certainly intentional and possibly another reference to Ebenezer Scrooge, as they both do not celebrate.
    • In the game files, the Tax Collector has an alternate image of him without a hat: Tax Collector (without hat).png Tax Collector (without hat) (Shimmered).png. This would have been originally used to don him with a party hat during a Party.
    • Many of his quotes reference colloquial names for pre-decimal units of British currency, such as shillings.
    • The quote "Go tell <name of Arms Dealer> to stop offering to pay me with ammo, I don't even own a gun." is possibly a reference to the post-apocalyptic fiction novel Metro 2033, where ammo is used as currency. However, it's more likely that the Arms Dealer is making a veiled threat to shoot the Tax Collector rather than paying him, and the Tax Collector doesn't understand the undertone. Money can be used as ammo for the Coin Gun.
    • The quote "Tried to get <name of Dryad> to pay me with favors once, now I have fungus growing in strange places." is a vague sexual reference.
    • The line "You already managed to spend every pence I paid you!? Bah, I'm not a charity, go kill a slime!" is a reference to slimes being so easy to kill and make money off them.
    • The quote "Just between you and me... I have no idea why they're bothering to pay the rent" exists in the game's source code, but never appears, possibly due to a coding error.
    • All the NPCs the Tax Collector likes or loves dislike or hate him in return, with the exception of the Princess.
    • When maximally unhappy, the Tax Collector will only store coins in numbers consisting of sixes. The Number of the Beast (a Hellish monster in the apocalyptic Bible book of Revelations,) is 666. Considering that the Tax Collector's description indicates that he has been to Hell and back seems to indicate that the connection of sixes may not be accidental.
    • His quote "Begging so soon?! Don't look at me like I'll have a change of heart overnight! " references the fact that, in A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the three spirits of Christmas and has a change of heart overnight.
    • The quote "Death and taxes, nothing more sure in life than that!" said when in a graveyard, is a reference to the quote “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes,” said by Benjamin Franklin.
    • The quote "Must everyone open and shut doors so incredibly noisily around here?!" is a reference to NPCs always opening and shutting doors.
    • The BestiaryBestiary entry for the Tax Collector: "This grumpy Tax Collector has literally been to hell and back. Greedy to a fault, he's truly only concerned with money."

    History

    • Desktop 1.4.1: Fixed a bug where the chance of The Tax Collector being named "Agnew" was twice as high as any other name.
    • Desktop 1.3.1: Fixed Tax Collector not using some of his special chat dialog.
    • Switch 1.0.1096.2: Fixed a bug where the Tax Collector had a chance to be named "TaxCollectorNames.Name_20".

    References

    1. ↑ Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.3.6 source code, method CollectTaxes() in Terraria.Player.cs. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.
    2. ↑ Information taken from the Desktop version Desktop 1.4.0.5 source code, method GUIChatDrawInner() in Terraria.Main.cs. Note that tax amounts are converted to a floating-point number, then divided by the current happiness price adjustment, then truncated to an integer; hence, e.g. 25 divided by a 150% price modifier gives 166666 due to the truncation. There may be inaccuracies, as the current Desktop version Desktop version is 1.4.4.9.
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