England is one of the most conservative countries in the world today. This manifests itself in everything from the ruling royal family to the legislative system. This conservatism also influenced the formation of the tax system in England. However, there are stories about unusual taxes in England.
At the beginning of the formation of statehood, almost immediately there was a need to create a taxation system. In ancient times, this system had a completely different look, for example, it concerned only landowners, livestock owners and ordinary workers. But over time, the states grew and developed, and it became necessary to strengthen the financial part. Therefore, taxes increased and began to cover more and more areas of life of citizens. Over time, this led to the emergence of very strange and sometimes completely ridiculous taxes. In the article we will tell you about the most interesting and unusual taxes in the history of England.
Tax on cowardice
Yes, there was such a low tax for citizens. This was during the reign of Henry I (1100–1135). Those citizens who did not want to go to fight for the interests of the king were obliged to pay. But even after his reign, the citizens did not feel better. Henry I was succeeded by John the Landless, known as King John, who also began his reforms. For example, he raised the tax by 300% for knights, and taxed them even in peacetime. The following rulers were very satisfied with this tax, so it existed for the next 300 years. Hundreds of years later, this tax was gradually replaced by other fees from the military and the army. And so, he continued his modified existence until today.
Beard tax
Yes, it is a tax on an ordinary male beard. King Henry VIII, the owner of a thick beard, introduced such an absurd and unusual tax in 1535. In fact, this tax depended on the position of a citizen in society. This tax was a necessity to replenish the treasury of the state. Since this was effective for a long time, Elizabeth I continued this during her reign. The tax was imposed on all bearers growing more than two weeks.
This tax became so popular that it reached Russia in the 17th century. The ruler Peter I introduced a similar tax in his country and obliged all beard owners to pay tax and carry receipts confirming payment. This was very serious, since not everyone could afford to wear a beard. In 1705, all the men of the country, except for priests, monks and peasants, did not have the right to freely wear a beard and mustache, but were obliged to shave them. The amount of tax directly depended on the social status of the citizen and the availability of property in the possessions.
Royalist taxes
One more example unusual taxes in England. In 1655, a tax was introduced that the royalists, whom Lord General Oliver Cromwell considered a serious threat to England, were required to pay. This was an important tax, as the income from it helped to raise an independent full-fledged army. This army stood guard over the security of England and was always ready to defend the country and citizens from the royalists. Yes, it really was absurd, since in fact the royalists paid money in order to have protection against them.
Tax on windows and chimneys
This is a terrible tax that has lowered the level of hygiene in the country and increased the rate of diseases such as tuberculosis and so on. Its essence is that starting from the 17th century in England, windows and chimneys of citizens began to be taxed. Therefore, residents who did not have much money began to clean the windows in their houses, and the chimneys were masked in various ways. People were creative to save money. This tax also extended to France. There was a complex system that considered the size and number of windows. In France, this tax affected not only windows, but also doors. Therefore, for significant savings, residents began to make doors along with a window. So, I had to pay only for the doors. Only at the beginning of the 20th century this tax was abolished.
Tax on hats and wigs
This tax surprised England in the 17th century. This tax applied only to the male population of the country. All men who lived in the cities were required to pay 2 pounds a year for the opportunity to wear hats. As for the inhabitants of the villages, their tax was 5 shillings a year. It was a very serious tax, because for violations and forgery of a payment document, the death penalty was expected for violators. And this absurd tax existed until 1811.
As for wigs, the tax did not concern the wigs themselves, but the special powder for them. This tax has been required to pay by everyone except the royal family and its entourage since 1795.
Voting tax
Another not only absurd, but also scandalous tax, which was introduced in 1989. Its essence is simple, citizens wishing to vote were required to pay for it first. But this tax did not meet with the approval of the citizens, they simply refused to pay it. This all led to protests of citizens in Trafalgar Square. As a result of this tax, Margaret Thatcher was removed from her powers.
Poll tax
Another interesting tax was created in the 14th century. It was a poll tax, the essence of which was that a person was obliged to pay tax for the fact that he simply lives. Only the dead were exempt from this tax. This tax was introduced against the backdrop of the past epidemic of the plague and a huge number of deaths. The population was in a critical situation, so they were in no hurry to pay this tax. And the state had to use force to pay. Naturally, this caused riots and this tax did not last long.
Such strange taxes
Taxation is the most important mechanism in the system of building statehood. This process began many centuries ago. Real professionals are working on the creation of a taxation system in each country. Who come up with the norms of legislation, the procedure for taxation and so on. But sometimes there are incidents in this case.
In the article above, we told you about some of the most absurd and funny taxes in the history of England. Still, it’s great that today we are not forced to pay these taxes and we can just laugh about it.
Read more: https://taxtaxation.com/unusual-taxes-in-germany/
