Free docking so how does the station cover costs?

[Krafter]

Some friends and I were talking about how there are no docking fees which got us thinking about how the station is covering operation costs.

One possibility we thought is that fuel costs include taxes, or maybe when you buy cargo there are fees tacked onto that. Maybe the docking bay is full of casinos.

I realize it doesn't actually affect gameplay just something we thought was intriguing to consider.

 

[Zieman]

Stations do sell many services themselves. And I reckon they take a percentage of every transaction that isn't directly tied to the stations.

 

[pluton]

The "scrap metal" which they sell comes from the thousands of ships which they destroy for parking violations.

 

[Lodorenos]

Under the table tips from Daddy Frontier.

 

[crushdepth]

Selling scrap from all the ships they torch.

 

[ollobrains]

profist on refuellilng, repair. Profits on the missions u run for them. But i guess they get income, imports, protection from commanders visiting especially in the fringe systems.

 

[Elriuhilu]

The same way you don't have to pay for parking in many shopping centres.

 

[Sentenza]

Stations appear to be run by the local government, so I assume prices for anything bough or sold there include some form of VAT.

 

[Devil's Refugee]

Yeah, that's all we need, station parking fees. Way to go to shout it as an idea

 

[Commander Baracus]

Stations appear to be run by the local government, so I assume prices for anything bough or sold there include some form of VAT.

Indeed, the price difference between what you sell and buy for is there for all to see. Plus the more you sell the less you get for it - the bulk trade tax as Michael Brookes described.

 

[OnePercent]

They don't. They have a nuclear Fusion reactor running to provide power and they recycle EVERYTHING. Something that has to be done on a space station.