Charter of the Tau Zone

This matter has been repealed, voided, or is otherwise out of date

Repealed by the Tauzone Sunsetting Act 2025, passed and signed on 20 December 2025.

Charter of the Tau Zone

Passed and signed on 9 September 2025.

A common market and currency will grow the economies of the member servers more than they can individually achieve

Preamble

Whereas the prosperity of SimDemocracy and its partners depends on stronger economic cooperation;

Whereas the Tau currency system can provide stability and opportunity to allied polsims;

Whereas mutual trust requires shared governance, balanced powers, and legal clarity;

Whereas the value of tau could benefit greatly from increased activity;

Whereas other countries could benefit greatly from the sophisticated monetary system of “tau”;

Whereas this will foster greater intermingling between communities;

We, the undersigned, establish the Tau Zone, a multi-server economic community with a common currency and shared institutions.

Article I – Definitions

§1. “Tau Zone” shall mean the collective economic area established by this Charter. Furthermore, it is acknowledged that the Tau-Zone, and its members, are the jurisdiction governed under the articles of this charter.

§2. “Member Server” shall mean any external server admitted to the Tau Zone under Article III.

§3. “Tau” shall mean the official currency of the Tau Zone, issued and regulated by the Central Bank of the Tau Zone.

§4. “Tau Hub” shall mean official cross-server channels hosted in Member Servers where registered businesses may trade, advertise, and contract.

§5. “Tau Council” shall mean the representative democratic body of the Tau Zone, defined in Article V.

§6. “Tau Zone Commission” (or “Commission”) shall mean the upper body with oversight and veto authority, defined in Article VI.

§7. “High Commissioner of the Tau Zone” shall mean the chief operating officer of the Tau Zone, appointed under Article IV.

Article II – Establishment of the Organization

§1. The Tau Zone is hereby established as a multi-server joint economic area with the following purposes:

§1.1. The free and equitable exchange of goods and services between member states,

§1.2. To remove barriers of trade and cultural exchange between member states,

§1.3. To ease the movement of natural persons between member states,

§1.4. To foster common values like inclusivity, justice and democracy within member states, and

§1.5. To promote a stronger, larger, and more active common business community then what could be achieved individually.

§2. The provisions of this charter and the establishment of the tau zone shall not be construed to place any obligations or restrictions beyond what member states expressly agree to in this charter or subsequent agreements.

§3. The Tau Zone shall operate under the oversight of the Tau Council and Tau Commission.

Article III – Membership

§1. A server may join the Tau Zone by signing a Tau Zone Agreement with SimDemocracy.

§2. Admission requires approval by:

§2.1. A simple majority in the Tau Zone Council, and

§2.2. Ratification by the Tau Zone Commission.

§3. Member Servers gain:

§3.1. Access to Tau currency and exchange services,

§3.2. Rights to host Tau Hubs,

§3.3. Reciprocal rights for SimDem businesses in their markets, and

§3.4. A Representative on the Tau Council.

§4. Member Servers have a responsibility to:

§4.1. Uphold the rules of the Tau Zone,

§4.2. Accept the authority of Central Bank of the Tau Zone over specified affairs,

§4.3. Accept the policies agreed to by the Tau Zone authorities, and

§4.4. Accept the supremacy of Tau Zone laws over local ones.

§5. Membership may be suspended or revoked if a server violates this Charter or Tau Zone agreements.

Article IV – Central Bank of the Tau Zone (CBTZ)

§1. The CBTZ is hereby established as the financial authority of the Tau Zone.

§2. The CBTZ shall be governed by the High Commissioner of the Tau Zone, who shall appoint a Central Bank Manager to handle regular affairs, operations, departments, and employees of the CBTZ.

§2.1. The CBTZ may structure, organize, and self-regulate, in the absence of other laws, how it sees fit to ensure efficient and effective completion of its responsibilities.

§3. The CBTZ shall:

§3.1. Handle the printing and regulation the Tau,

§3.2. Oversee currency exchanges with Member Servers,

§3.3. Record and enforce cross-server financial transactions,

§3.4. Enforce Tau Zone policies and issue corrective measures, when necessary,

§3.5. Oversee the operation and implementation of the Tau Zone by member servers,

§3.6. Implement monetary policies agreed upon by the Tau Zone institutions,

§3.7. Support the development of shared economic and fiscal expectations and policy,

§3.8. Handle the general affairs and operation of the tau zone, and

§3.9. Maintain a record of the policies, regulations, laws, and businesses that oversee the whole of the Tau Zone.

§3.9.1. Shall support the development of common policies, regulations, and laws between the member servers to enable more business.

§3.9.2. Shall mediate when conflicts arise between the laws of different servers.

§3.9.3. The record of businesses within the tau zone shall be the official business registry of the member servers of the tau zone. In the event of business registry being required to operate within the jurisdiction of a member server then entry into the tau zone business registry shall be enough to satisfy such requirements.

§4. The High Commissioner of the Tau Zone shall oversee the CBTZ, chair the Tau Commission, and be the chief administrator of the Tau zone, its affairs, its operations, and its well-being.

§5. The CBTZ shall operate jointly with local server authorities, state financial institutions, and the Department of the Treasury of SimDemocracy. In the event of the incapacitation of the CBTZ, SimDem’s department of treasury shall fill in the gap and oversee affairs.

§5.1. Neither SimDem nor the CBTZ is responsible for managing or enforcing the domestic policies of Member Servers. The CBTZ and SimDemocracy’s Department of the Treasury may refuse support and coordination where requests exceed the mandate provided by the Tau-Zone Charter.

§6. Exchange rates and liquidity limits shall be determined by the CBTZ, subject to Tau Zone Commission veto.

Article V – The Tau Council

§1. The Tau Council is the representative assembly of the Tau Zone.

§1.1. The High Commissioner of the Tau Zone, or representative of them, shall lead and manage the Tau Council affairs, sessions, and votes.

§2. Each Member Server shall appoint one delegate, inform the High Commissioner of the Tau-Zone, and the High Commissioner shall announce their membership into the Tau Council.

§2.1. The Tau Council shall still conduct its business, even if member servers have not appointed a delegate, unless less then half of servers gave appointed a representative. If half or more of servers have not appointed a representative, the High Commissioner may appoint a representative from that server to temporarily serve until the member server appoints a permanent representative. Furthermore, the High Commissioner of the Tau-Zone may, without motion or vote, extend hearings and votes until enough representatives are appointed.

§2.2. Member severs may dismiss representatives at will and determine how, locally, they will determine who their representative is.

§3. The Tau Council has the power to:

§3.1. Propose or repeal common regulations and policies for the tau-zone,

§3.2. Oversee the implementation of Tau Zone policies and institutions,

§3.3. Serve as a forum for inter-server coordination,

§3.4. Ratify new and expel existing members to the tau-zone,

§3.5. Propose and or ratify amendments to the Tau-Zone Charter,

§3.6. Investigate the actions, institutions, and officials of the Tau Zone,

§3.7. Impeach officials of the Tau-Zone,

§3.8. The Tau Council cannot directly impeach the High Commissioner but can vote to request their impeachment.

§3.9. Appoint and impeach the commissioners of the Tau-Zone Commission, and

§3.10. Propose an amendment to and approve or reject an amendment to Tau-Zone Charter.

§4. The Council shall have hearings for motions to use one of its powers that shall last a minimum of 24 hours but can be extended by majority vote to be as long as desired.

§5. The Council may hold votes to use their powers, which shall last 24 hours, and shall be considered successful pasted if agreed upon by 2/3 of cast votes of over ½ of sitting Representatives of the Tau Council.

§6. The Council may hold motions to extend the length of votes and hearings. These motions shall be considered passed if a plurality of sitting representatives agree and have no time restrictions upon them. If, at a later date, a representative changes their vote which causes the motion to no longer reach plurality then the extra time shall no longer be approved, and the hearing or vote shall end if its continuance relied upon that extra time.

Article VI – The Tau Zone Commission

§1. The Tau Zone Commission is the upper body of governance in the Tau Zone.

§2. The Commission shall consist of the High Commissioner of the Tau Zone and two other commissioners.

§2.1. The other two commissioners of the Tau-Zone shall be appointed by the Tau Council.

§2.1.1. Upon first creation of the Tau-Zone, the commissioners shall be appointed by SimDemocracy’s Department of Treasury until the Tau Council votes in a replacement or reconfirms their appointment.

§2.2. The High Commissioner of the Tau-Zone, upon retirement or dismissal, shall appoint a replacement that shall be confirmed by the majority of the sitting members of Tau Zone Commission.

§2.2.1. Tau Council shall nominate and vote in a High Commissioner of the Tau Zone, or keep trying until they do, if the High Commissioner fails to appoint a successor or the appointed successor fails to receive accession from the commission.

§2.1.2. Upon first creation of the Tau-Zone, the High-Commissioners shall be appointed by SimDemocracy’s Department of Treasury.

§3. The Tau Zone Commission shall hold:

§3.1. Propose or repeal common regulations and policies for the tau-zone,

§3.2. Oversee the implementation of Tau Zone policies and institutions,

§3.3. Serve as a forum for inter-server coordination,

§3.4. Propose and or ratify amendments to the Tau-Zone Charter,

§3.5. Investigate the actions, institutions, and officials of the Tau Zone,

§3.6. Impeach officials of the Tau-Zone,

§3.7. Appoint and dismiss the High Commissioner of the Tau-Zone,

§3.8. Oversee the CBTZ and propose, repeal, or alter its politics, regulations, and structure, and

§3.9. Overrule votes of the Tau Council.

§3.9.1. Impeachment votes may not be overruled.

§3.10. Propose an amendment to the Tau Zone Charter. If the amendment is passed, the Tau Council must vote to approve it for it to occur.

§4. The Commission shall have hearings for motions to use one of its powers that shall last a minimum of 24 hours but can be extended by majority vote to be as long as desired.

§5. The Commission may hold votes to use their powers, which shall last 24 hours, and shall be considered successful pasted if agreed upon by all sitting members of the Tau Commission. The length of votes can also be extended by a motion.

§6. The Commission may hold motions to extend the length of votes and hearings. These motions shall be considered passed if a plurality of sitting members of the Commission agree and have no time restrictions upon them. If, at a later date, a representative changes their vote which causes the motion to no longer reach plurality then the extra time shall no longer be approved, and the hearing or vote shall end if its continuance relied upon that extra time.

Article VII – Legal Recognition & Enforcement

§1. Each Member Server shall recognize the authority of this Charter upon accession.

§2. All Tau Zone agreements shall be published for transparency in the SimDemocracy Wiki.

§3. Violations of Tau Zone rules may result in fines issued by the CBTZ, suspension of Tau access, or expulsion by unanimous commission decision or 2/3 vote by the tau council.

Article VIII – Implementation

§1. This Charter shall enter into effect immediately upon ratification by the authorities of the member of server, Tau Zone Council, and Tau Zone Commission.

§2. Tau Zone officials shall, within fourteen (14) days, establish initial Tau Hubs and operational procedures in coordination with local authorities.

§3. A review of the Charter shall take place six (6) weeks after initial creation to consider amendments based on practical experience.

§4. By remaining in the Tau-Zone, Member Servers agree to abide by amendments adopted by the Tau-Council and or Tau Commission.