* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    CT Senate backs panel to support struggling live entertainment venues – WSHU

    CT Senate Approves New Initiative to Aid Struggling Live Entertainment Venues

    Elizabeth Hurley Will Be ‘Deceased’ on New Reality Show The Inheritance – Yahoo

    Elizabeth Hurley Takes a Bold Turn in New Reality Show ‘The Inheritance

    SRM Entertainment Announces $5 Million Private Placement – GlobeNewswire

    SRM Entertainment Secures $5 Million Investment to Fuel Growth!

    Embracer intends to spin off Coffee Stain Group by the end of 2025, with remaining business rebranded as Fellowship Entertainment – GamesIndustry.biz

    Embracer intends to spin off Coffee Stain Group by the end of 2025, with remaining business rebranded as Fellowship Entertainment – GamesIndustry.biz

    San Jose eyes creation of entertainments zones with FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl LX on the horizon – The Mercury News

    San Jose Sets Its Sights on Exciting Entertainment Zones Ahead of FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl LX!

    Wilmington’s future of fun: 5 recreation and entertainment spaces planned in the Port City – Wilmington Star-News

    Exciting Developments Ahead: 5 New Recreation and Entertainment Spaces Coming to Wilmington!

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    SD state worker promoted to lead Bureau of Information and Technology and its $88 million budget – South Dakota Searchlight

    South Dakota State Worker Takes the Helm of Bureau of Information and Technology with an $88 Million Budget!

    The data center boom in the desert – MIT Technology Review

    Unleashing the Desert: The Thriving Data Center Revolution

    T. Hasegawa creates flavor technology for plant-based applications – Food Business News

    Revolutionizing Taste: T. Hasegawa’s Innovative Flavor Technology for Plant-Based Foods

    Nike cuts some jobs in technology division – Reuters

    Nike Streamlines Workforce: Job Cuts in Technology Division

    InfiMotion Technology launches TL 300 integrated drive system – Automotive Powertrain Technology International

    InfiMotion Technology Unveils Game-Changing TL 300 Integrated Drive System!

    Aera Technology Debuts Decision Intelligence Skill to Navigate Shifting Tariff Dynamics Across Value Chains – Silicon Canals

    Unlocking Success: Aera Technology Launches Innovative Decision Intelligence Skill to Tackle Evolving Tariff Challenges in Value Chains

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    CT Senate backs panel to support struggling live entertainment venues – WSHU

    CT Senate Approves New Initiative to Aid Struggling Live Entertainment Venues

    Elizabeth Hurley Will Be ‘Deceased’ on New Reality Show The Inheritance – Yahoo

    Elizabeth Hurley Takes a Bold Turn in New Reality Show ‘The Inheritance

    SRM Entertainment Announces $5 Million Private Placement – GlobeNewswire

    SRM Entertainment Secures $5 Million Investment to Fuel Growth!

    Embracer intends to spin off Coffee Stain Group by the end of 2025, with remaining business rebranded as Fellowship Entertainment – GamesIndustry.biz

    Embracer intends to spin off Coffee Stain Group by the end of 2025, with remaining business rebranded as Fellowship Entertainment – GamesIndustry.biz

    San Jose eyes creation of entertainments zones with FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl LX on the horizon – The Mercury News

    San Jose Sets Its Sights on Exciting Entertainment Zones Ahead of FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl LX!

    Wilmington’s future of fun: 5 recreation and entertainment spaces planned in the Port City – Wilmington Star-News

    Exciting Developments Ahead: 5 New Recreation and Entertainment Spaces Coming to Wilmington!

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    SD state worker promoted to lead Bureau of Information and Technology and its $88 million budget – South Dakota Searchlight

    South Dakota State Worker Takes the Helm of Bureau of Information and Technology with an $88 Million Budget!

    The data center boom in the desert – MIT Technology Review

    Unleashing the Desert: The Thriving Data Center Revolution

    T. Hasegawa creates flavor technology for plant-based applications – Food Business News

    Revolutionizing Taste: T. Hasegawa’s Innovative Flavor Technology for Plant-Based Foods

    Nike cuts some jobs in technology division – Reuters

    Nike Streamlines Workforce: Job Cuts in Technology Division

    InfiMotion Technology launches TL 300 integrated drive system – Automotive Powertrain Technology International

    InfiMotion Technology Unveils Game-Changing TL 300 Integrated Drive System!

    Aera Technology Debuts Decision Intelligence Skill to Navigate Shifting Tariff Dynamics Across Value Chains – Silicon Canals

    Unlocking Success: Aera Technology Launches Innovative Decision Intelligence Skill to Tackle Evolving Tariff Challenges in Value Chains

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

How old are taxes? Older than you think

April 12, 2024
in Science
How old are taxes? Older than you think
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Every April in the United States, predictable signs of spring appear: budding flowers, chirping birds, and … taxes. They may be as certain as death, but taxes aren’t a recent phenomenon; they date back thousands of years.

Over the centuries, different governments all over the world have levied taxes on everything from urine to facial hair—and officials accepted payments of beers, beds, and even broomsticks. These payments went to fund government projects and services—from the pyramids of Giza to the legions of Rome.

First taxes

Taxation has existed for so long, it even predates coin money. Taxes could be applied to almost everything and might be paid with almost anything. In ancient Mesopotamia, this flexibility led to some rather bizarre ways to pay. For instance, the tax on burying a body in a grave was “seven kegs of beer, 420 loaves, two bushels of barley, a wool cloak, a goat, and a bed, presumably for the corpse,” according to Oklahoma State historian Tonia Sharlach. “Circa 2000-1800 B.C., there is a record of a guy who paid with 18,880 brooms and six logs,” Sharlach adds.

Circa 2000-1800 B.C., there is a record of a guy who paid [his taxes] with 18,880 brooms and six logs.

Creative accounting of in-kind payments helped some cheat the tax man as well. “In another case, a man claimed he had no possessions whatsoever except extremely heavy millstones. So he made the tax man carry them off as his tax payment.”

Pharaohs’ tax preparation

Ancient Egypt was one of the first civilizations to have an organized tax system. It was developed around 3000 B.C., soon after Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt were unified by Narmer, Egypt’s first pharaoh. 

Egypt’s early rulers took a very personal interest in taxes. They would travel around the country with an entourage to assess their subjects’ possessions—oil, beer, ceramics, cattle, and crops—and then collect the taxes on them. The annual event became known as the Shemsu Hor, or Following of Horus. During the Old Kingdom, taxes raised enough revenue to build grand civic projects, like the pyramids at Giza.

Ancient Egypt’s taxation system evolved over its 3,000-year history, becoming more sophisticated with time. In the New Kingdom (1539-1075 B.C.), government officials figured out a way to tax people on what they had earned before they’d even earned it, thanks to an invention called the nilometer. This device was used to calculate the water level of the Nile during its annual flood. Taxes would be less if the water level was too low, foretelling a drought and dying crops. Healthy water levels meant a healthy harvest, which meant higher taxes.

Tax amnesty in ancient India

In India’s Mauryan Empire (ca 321-185 B.C.) an annual competition of ideas was held—with the winner receiving tax amnesty. “The government solicited ideas from citizens on how to solve government problems,” Sharlach explains. “If your solution was chosen and implemented, you received a tax exemption for the rest of your life.” The Greek traveler and writer Megasthenes (ca 350-290 B.C.) gave an astonished account of the practice in his book Indica.

Like most tax reform efforts, the system was far from perfect, Sharlach notes. “The problem is that nobody would have any incentive to ever solve more than one problem.”

Sculpture of Emperor Vespasian at the Roman Baths complex in the English city of Bath

A statue of Emperor Vespasian, who notoriously taxed Rome’s urine trade, oversees the Roman Baths complex in Bath, England. 

Photograph by travelbild, Alamy

Render urine unto Caesar

The Roman emperor Vespasian (r. A.D. 69-79) may not be a household name like Augustus or Marcus Aurelius, but he brought stability to the empire during a turbulent time—partly through an innovative tax on people’s pee.

Ammonia was a valuable commodity in ancient Rome. It could clean dirt and grease from clothing. Tanners used it to make leather. Farmers used it as fertilizer. And people even used it to whiten their teeth. All this ammonia was derived from human urine, much of it gathered from Rome’s public restrooms. And like all valuable products, the government figured out how to tax it.

Some wealthy Romans, including Vespasian’s own son Titus, objected to the urine tax. According to historian Suetonius (writing around A.D. 120), Titus told his father he found the tax revolting, to which Vespasian replied, “Pecunia non olet,” or “Money does not stink.”

Itemizations for Aztecs

At its height in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Aztec Empire was wealthy and powerful, thanks to taxation. Historian Michael E. Smith has studied its tax collection system and found it to be remarkably complex, with different kinds of items collected at different levels of government.

All taxes made their way to the Aztec central governing body, the Triple Alliance. There they kept meticulous records of who had sent what. Many of these records survive today. The most famous are found in the Matrícula de Tributos, a colorful illustrated registry filled with pictographs showing exactly how many jaguar skins, precious stones, corn, cocoa, rubber balls, gold bars, honey, salt, and textiles the government collected each tax season.

Tsar Peter I sought to make Russia more

Tsar Peter I tried to make Russia more “modern” by making men shave their beards or pay a tax. If they didn’t pay, the police could forcibly shave them, as shown in this 18th-century Russian cartoon.

Photograph by Ann Ronan Pictures, Print Collector, Getty Images

Russia’s fashion tax

Widespread use of coins and currency had a leveling effect on taxation systems, but rulers were not above applying some taxation muscle to achieve their ends. In 1698, Russian reformer Peter the Great sought to make Russia resemble “modern” nations in western Europe whose clean, close shaves Peter equated with modernization. After he returned to Russia, the tsar instituted a beard tax on his citizens, who favored beards.

Any Russian man who wished to grow a beard had to pay a tax—peasants paid a small fee while nobles and merchants could pay as much as a hundred rubles. Men who had paid the tax were also required to carry beard tokens wherever they went to prove that they’d paid their taxes for the privilege. Peter the Great’s beard tax did not last. Catherine the Great repealed it in 1772.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on April 14, 2016. It has been updated.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/160414-history-bad-taxes-tax-day

Tags: OlderscienceTaxes
Previous Post

Unprecedented fossils reveal the smallest titanosaur ever found

Next Post

In a first, microplastic particles have been linked to heart disease

Kick Off Summer Safely: Health Tips for a Fun Memorial Day Weekend – Warren County Post

Kickstart Your Summer: Essential Health Tips for a Safe and Fun Memorial Day Weekend!

May 25, 2025
Red pen politics: 7 vetoes Gov. Bob Ferguson made in the Washington state budget – Washington State Standard

Governor Bob Ferguson’s Bold Moves: 7 Key Vetoes Shaping Washington’s State Budget

May 25, 2025
SD state worker promoted to lead Bureau of Information and Technology and its $88 million budget – South Dakota Searchlight

South Dakota State Worker Takes the Helm of Bureau of Information and Technology with an $88 Million Budget!

May 25, 2025
Sports on TV: Sunday, May 25, 2025 – Miami Herald

Don’t Miss the Exciting Sports Lineup This Sunday, May 25, 2025!

May 25, 2025
Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age – Nature

Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age – Nature

May 25, 2025
How cuts to science funding will hurt ordinary Americans – The Economist

How Slashing Science Funding Will Impact Everyday Americans

May 25, 2025
Venus may be geologically ‘alive’ after all, reanalysis of 30-year-old NASA data reveals – Live Science

Is Venus Geologically Active? New Insights from Decades-Old NASA Data!

May 25, 2025
A longevity expert says he lowered his biological age by moving his entire family to the forest – Business Insider

How a Move to the Forest Helped a Longevity Expert Reverse His Biological Age

May 25, 2025
Palm Bay announces return of “World’s Largest Swimming Lesson” event – WFTV

Palm Bay Welcomes Back the Exciting “World’s Largest Swimming Lesson” Event!

May 25, 2025
Trump Resumes Effort to Destroy Economy – Rolling Stone

Trump’s Bold Move: Aiming to Wreck the Economy Again!

May 25, 2025

Categories

Archives

May 2025
MTWTFSS
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
« Apr    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (638)
  • Economy (650)
  • Entertainment (21,560)
  • General (15,233)
  • Health (9,692)
  • Lifestyle (655)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (653)
  • Politics (658)
  • Science (15,873)
  • Sports (21,159)
  • Technology (15,638)
  • World (639)

Recent News

Kick Off Summer Safely: Health Tips for a Fun Memorial Day Weekend – Warren County Post

Kickstart Your Summer: Essential Health Tips for a Safe and Fun Memorial Day Weekend!

May 25, 2025
Red pen politics: 7 vetoes Gov. Bob Ferguson made in the Washington state budget – Washington State Standard

Governor Bob Ferguson’s Bold Moves: 7 Key Vetoes Shaping Washington’s State Budget

May 25, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version