W. Marc Gilfillan, CPA, NC, individual and business CPA and Tax expert, shares about the history of taxes…
Ancient Egypt wasn’t a land of cruel taskmasters and miserable slavery - that’s simply the stigma we get from the story of Moses, which came at a time of turmoil in Egypt. Actual translations of Egyptian language tell a tale of life in ancient Egypt was usually pleasant and relatively at peace. The land was rich, women and men had roughly equal rights and life was good for most. Now, there were tax collectors, as numerous as “the sands of the seas”. The order of Egyptian life was maintained by these “scribes” who were charged with enforcing the pharaoh’s tax mandates. Almost everything was taxed - sales, slaves, foreign people, imports, exports, and businesses. Crops were taxed at a hefty 20%. There was even a tax on cooking oil and inspectors would make continuous visits to kitchens to ensure that free drippings were not being used as opposed to the taxed oil.
The word “freedom” ironically in ancient Egypt did not refer to one’s political or social liberty but to your taxation level. If you were “free,” it meant that you didn’t have to pay taxes. Ironically, the word cannot be 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 never inconsiderate (at least in theory). They were told to act kindly towards the poor and defenseless. One ancient translation instructs: “if a poor farmer is in arrears with his taxations, cut two-thirds of them.”
Another text instructs scribes to “lighten up everyone and to put them into good humor.”
And, if someone is suffering under the pressure 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 this word we get the word philandthropy.
Over the 3000 years of the Egyptian empire, there were many periods 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/