Information On The History Of Taxation And Money

| Monday, July 25, 2011
By Jonathan Redworth


Even with the many concerns that many people have when it comes to taxes and so forth, it's still common for many individuals to be unaware about the history of taxation and money when in regards to where it all came from. However, the past tends to give a good sense of how things came to be, even when it comes to today's viewpoints within society itself and the impact such matters tend to have, or even with today's standards.

Before there was even a firm currency, people used to barter whatever good they had within their possession that may have been of some value. Such bartering might have included anything from services to livestock, people, trinkets, land and many other types of things. Even today, it's something that many people do instead of using actual currency.

There have been many types of currency throughout different parts of the world, being anything from gold to the likes of cowry shells used in China around 1200 BC. Even mock cowry shells were made by the Chinese, although other common currency may have included anything from knives to metal, leather, spades and so forth.

Although actual currency came about some time later, like that of silver during 500 BC or so, China's mock cowry shell is considered to be the world's first metal currency by many. The country is also said to be responsible for the first paper currency during the ninth century AD and later on in the fifteenth century, before it was later discontinued for a time.

Taxes have been around for centuries, stemming as far back as ancient Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire. Egyptian tax collectors of the Pharaoh were known back then as scribes, who even posed taxes on cooking oil during a certain period. During this time, collectors would audit households in order to ensure that they were using appropriate amounts of oil, as well as to make sure they weren't getting other oils through other types of processes or substitutes.

During the time of ancient Greece, Athenians imposed a tax that was designed to pay for special expenditures around wartime, which unfortunately no one was exempt from. However, in the event that additional resources were obtained during war, Greeks would receive a refund after the war was over, being likely the first and one of the few societies to do so.

One prime example of the history of taxation and money would be that of Caesar Augustus, who is also said to be one of the most brilliant money strategists to date. He handed over the responsibility of collecting inheritance tax to individual cities, rather than giving the responsibility to the publicani, who at one point collected for central government. These inheritance taxes were designed to fund military retirement, which it is said both Dutch and English inheritance taxes are referenced from in origin.




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