I recently read an article by Diane Haddad about taxes our ancestors had to pay. In this article, I will list a few of the taxes she listed.
Windows - yes, windows! In England, in 1696, "An Act for Granting to His Majesty Several Rates or Duties Upon Houses for Making Good the Deficiency of the Clipped Money" created a property tax based on the number of windows that were in a house. This tax was repealed in 1851. The United States had the "glass tax" or "window tax". The 1798 US Direct Tax included a tax on dwellings valued at more than $100 and on 2 acres or less. The number of windows was used as a measure of value.
Hats - Britain levied a tax on men's hats from 1784 to 1811. It was intended to tax the wealthy more than the poor folks. The wealthy supposedly owned more fancier hats. The hat retailer had to purchase a license, and each hat had to have a revenue stamp glued to the inside.
Dice - The Stamp Act of 1765 placed a tax on Britain's American colonists on various things. Dice, playing cards, and newspapers are a few. After most of the colonies formally condemned the act, protests turned violent, and several colonies held a Stamp Act Congress. The act was repealed the following year.
Beards - you read that correctly! In 1698, Russian Emperor Peter the Great introduced a tax on men's beards. He was hoping to modernize his country to compete with Western powers. The bearded man had to carry a token showing they had paid the tax. If they did not have their token with them, the police could shave their beard. The wealthy paid more heavily than your average townsfolk. When they entered the city, peasants had to pay a fee rather than an annual tax. At a reception in his honor, Peter put his money where his mouth was, pulled out a razor and shaved his military commander and aides.
Tea - American colonists paid a tax on tea starting with the 1767 Townshend Revenue Act, which also taxed glass, lead, oil, paint, and paper. Boycotts and protests led Parliament to repeal the Townshend Act taxes, except for tea, in 1770. But this isn’t what sparked the Boston Tea Party in 1773. That was the Tea Act, passed on May 10, 1773. It gave the British East India Co. a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies, allowing it to undercut both smuggled-in tea and tea importers. Tea would be cheaper, but colonists would still have to pay the tax.
So, which one of these surprises you most? For me, it is the beards!
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