W. Marc Gilfillan, CPA, NC, individual and business CPA and Tax expert, shares about the history of taxes…
Ancient Egypt was not a place of terrible taskmasters and miserable slaves – that’s simply the stigma we get from the tale of Moses, which formed at a time of turmoil in Egypt. Modern translations of Egyptian language tell a tale of life in ancient Egypt was usually bountiful and peaceful. The land was fertile, men and women had roughly equal rights and life was good for most. But, there were tax collectors, as numerous as “the sands of the seas”. The order of Egyptian life was maintained by these “scribes” whose job was enforcing the pharaoh’s tax mandates. Most all aspects of life were taxed – sales, slaves, foreigners, imports, exports, and businesses. Crops were taxed at an astounding 20%. There was even a tax on cooking oil and scribes would make continuous visits to kitchens to ensure that free drippings were not being used as opposed to the taxed oil.
The idea of “freedom” ironically in ancient Egypt didn’t refer to a person’s political or social liberty but to your tax status. If you were “free,” it meant that you were exempt from taxation. Interestingly, the word is not found anywhere in the Egyptian language. Good thing we live in this time eh? Go here if you want help with modern-day Tax Preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll in Cary NC.
However, the scribes were not inconsiderate (at least in theory). They were told to be kind to the poor and defenseless. An example from an ancient translation states: “if a poor farmer is in trouble with his taxations, remit two-thirds of them.”
Another text admonishes scribes to “lighten up everyone and to direct them into a good mood.”
And, if someone is struggling under pressures of taxation, or is at the end of his means to pay them, you must let the case go unchecked.” If you’re feeling the pressure with today’s taxes, call a Raleigh NC Accountant for all your tax-related needs!
This lenient policy was called “philanthropa”. From that we get the word philandthropy.
Over the 3000 years of the Egyptian empire, there were many times of humane and decent tax administration.
Keep an eye out for W. Marc Gilfillan’s next chapter in his History of Taxes series: Taxes and the Greeks. http://www.marccpa.com/
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