3,257
edits
Changes
→Rise of Taxes
The Roman Empire created a series of specialized taxes that saw it tax things like trade, military obligations, inheritance, sales, religious, slave trade, land, as well as income tax. In effect, the Roman Empire depended on a series of specialized taxes and obligations. While some taxes were obligatory, the state also created a series of tax revenues that could be generated by people using the state's services or performing certain functions (e.g., selling slaves).
In the Medieval period, various forms of taxes developed that included religious as well as state-based taxes. Land taxes, tithes, feudal taxes, and poll tax were typical taxes developed. Earlier systems, such as in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, did not require compulsory taxation but they, instead, used fines as forms of taxation. Norman England created a universal land tax. Taxation, however, became a source of contention, leading to a system where the king would have to get consent from leading individuals and nobles from different regions. During the reign of King John in the 12th and early 13th centuries, there were attempts to make taxes a larger supply or portion of the king's overall revenue, where even annual income by individuals was now something taxed by the king (which was rare in earlier periods and until the 19th century). This created conflict with nobles. Over time, this through <i>Magna Carta</i> and other agreements, assembly of nobles that gave consent on taxes helped form the bases of what became Parliament that developed in the 13th century and, eventually, the foundation of modern democratic institutions(Figure 2). [[File:King John from De Rege Johanne.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 2. King John attempted to introduce various taxes, including income tax, but this led to conflict with the nobles.]]
==Later Development==
