taxes vs population

The tax rate affects morale which in turn affects population growth. If you set your tax rate low enough, you can achieve 100% morale, and this will give you the best population growth. If you set your tax rate high enough, you will get such a low morale that your population will have negative growth. With the higher two governments, a low enough morale can cause your colonies to rebel and join another empire. Also, a low empire-wide morale can cause you to lose Senate elections. So, you must consider what level of population you can sustain given the morale boosting buildings you have available. I've read that some of them are good buys but others are just a waste of money. You wouldn't want your population to grow so much that morale dropped off with no way for you to get it back up again.

I try to set my tax rate high enough that I'm getting a good bit more taxes than at 35% but still maintain a morale of 70-80% for population growth. Of course, I'm just a beginner. So, one of the more experienced game players may have different advice.

yeah I know the tax rate affects morale. I'll try and put it another way. Which is better:
High population, low tax, morale 55

or

Low population, high tax, morale 55

Since population growth will level out at morale 55 then is there any point increasing your population by lowering taxes once all your colonies reach morale 55?

I would like a better understanding between the effects of improved morale bonuses and maximum population. Then I could do some kind of cost/benefit analysis on the morale based improvements.

If something costs 3 to maintenance, but gives you a 10% boost in your economy, then you know that you need an income of 30 before it pays for itself.

I can't draw that conclusion with morale benefits. If something costs 2 to maintain and gives me +20% morale, then how much will my population increase to? If I knew that, then I could decide whether it is worthwhile to build the improvement.

You should always, always, always be trying to increase your population by as much as possible because a larger population brings in more taxes in the long run. A morale level of 55% is, IMHO, a very bad morale level to aim for--at least, for your better planets. Instead, you should be aiming for constant population growth so long as your planets aren't growing so fast that their morale level vs. the current government doesn't result in their rebelling against you.

Regarding the effect of morale bonus vs. maximum population: On your better planets, the morale improving buildings are definitely cost effective. On your lower quality planets, I would build only a very few of the morale boosting buildings.

In my games, I build Entertainment Center on all class 18 and above. If my lower quality planets start dropping below 60%, then I build it on them as well. When the Multimedia Center is available, I might build it on my very best worlds. When Harmony Generators become available, I build them on my best worlds. Later down the tech tree, you get Stadium. This one goes on all my worlds. The rest of the morale boosting buildings such as Medical Center, etc are just too expensive vs. the benefit. I don't want to build the facility unless I'm getting 15% to 20% per 2 BC maintenance. (Hmm.... I think I forgot one other one in there somewhere that is also good.)

"The rest of the morale boosting buildings such as Medical Center, etc are just too expensive vs. the benefit."

My point is that you don't *know* that. You are kind of guesstimating, right?

Certainly there is a point at which the population size would support a medical center or some of the more expensive improvements.

One thing I've found is that I can raise the tax rate after building a morale improvement instead of simply letting the population grow. Does that tax increase pay for the maintenance required on the improvement? Right now I have no way of telling except by guessing.