Ancient Rome: Taxes
In the time of Julius Cesar, taxes were only a 1% to the highest of 4% in times like wars. AS the new emperors came, the taxes started to increase. they went from 1% to 4% and kept getting higher. Some Emperors dealt with tax so aggressively that people became bankrupt or starved because of the amount of taxes they had to pay. In the 3rd century under the rule of Emperor Diocletian, children and widows were chased after for the taxes leaving them in critical conditions. By the 4th century, farmers abandoned their land in order to receive public entitlements.
Taxes were paid on almost everything, homes, slave, animals, real estates, personal items, etc. Taxes were paid with money and also with food. They were probably the biggest burden the citizens had on them. In 167 BC taxes were made on communities not individuals. The tax was collected by publican and gave to the Senate.
Currency:
Rome used the money to express debt and prices. In the first few centuries, they used farm products, livestock and services to exchange. Then they decided that they needed a better system, not just lumps of gold, silver, and bronze. That's how they came up with the coins. As eventually became the base unit as Romans currency. When Rome found out that Greece had been using silver coins, they exported silver form their and made their own. Each denarius (silver coin) was worth 10 As but a soon became 16 As to show the difference between copper and silver. The gold had a fixed amount which was 25 denarius.
Taxes were paid on almost everything, homes, slave, animals, real estates, personal items, etc. Taxes were paid with money and also with food. They were probably the biggest burden the citizens had on them. In 167 BC taxes were made on communities not individuals. The tax was collected by publican and gave to the Senate.
Currency:
Rome used the money to express debt and prices. In the first few centuries, they used farm products, livestock and services to exchange. Then they decided that they needed a better system, not just lumps of gold, silver, and bronze. That's how they came up with the coins. As eventually became the base unit as Romans currency. When Rome found out that Greece had been using silver coins, they exported silver form their and made their own. Each denarius (silver coin) was worth 10 As but a soon became 16 As to show the difference between copper and silver. The gold had a fixed amount which was 25 denarius.
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