Customs House (Civ4)/Civilopedia

A Customs House is an organization responsible for collecting taxes on imports or exports, as well as for seizing contraband. Customs Houses were common during the Age of Sail, when the level of trade skyrocketed and the necessity for a centralized system of tax collection arose. In Spain, with the huge influx of wealth from the New World, Sevilla was designated the "Customs City" where all transports carrying Incan or Aztec gold were required to land so that the Crown could take its share. Tariffs became a hotly-debated topic in the New World, especially in the English colonies, where tariffs would fan the flames of several of that region's most violent conflicts.