Pre-Industrial

Magna Carta, signed in 1215, limited the power of King John to impose taxes without consent. Clause ...

The gabelle, or French salt tax, was one of the most hated taxes in history. Instituted in 1341, the...

The poll tax, or head tax, was a fixed tax per person regardless of income. The poll tax of 1381 hel...

Property taxes are among the oldest forms of taxation. After the Norman Conquest of England in 1066,...

Tallage was a royal tax in medieval England levied on towns, cities, and royal demesne lands. Unlike...

Danegeld was a tax collected in Anglo Saxon England to pay Danish invaders to stop raiding. The firs...

The corvee was a tax paid in labor rather than money. Subjects were required to work for the state f...

Customs duties, or tariffs, are among the oldest forms of taxation. The Venerable Bede recorded cust...

The Roman tax system evolved significantly over the Republic and Empire. During the Republic, Rome r...

The Domesday Book was commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1085 and completed in 1086. The surve...

Scutage, or shield money, was a tax paid by knights in lieu of military service. Under the feudal sy...

Islamic taxation is based on two main taxes. Zakat is a mandatory charitable contribution, typically...

Tithes were a tax of one tenth of agricultural produce paid to support the church. The tithe system ...

Taxation appears throughout the Bible. In Genesis, Joseph imposed a 20 percent tax on grain in Egypt...

Germany collects a church tax Kirchensteuer of 8 to 9 percent of income tax for members of recognize...