Corvee Labor Tax

About Corvee Labor Tax

The corvee was a tax paid in labor rather than money. Subjects were required to work for the state for a certain number of days per year, typically on roads, bridges, fortifications, and other public works. The corvee was common in medieval Europe, particularly in France where peasants owed the corvee royale to the king. The corvee was also used extensively in ancient China, where it was a core obligation of citizenship. In the 18th century, the French corvee required peasants to work 10 to 14 days per year on road construction. The corvee was abolished during the French Revolution. Modern military conscription is sometimes described as a form of corvee. In 1930, the International Labour Organization convention against forced labor effectively banned corvee worldwide.