W. Marc Gilfillan, CPA, NC, individual and business CPA and Tax expert, shares about the history of taxes…
Mithridates the Great was the leader of a tiny nation near what is currently known as Turkey. He had an extraordinary ability to arouse discontent among disgruntled taxpayers. In 88 BC he led a civil war against Roman rule. By promising five years of tax exemption to every city that followed his army, he mustered substantial support.
The Roman Senate sprang into action and appointed General Sulla to raise an army and restore Roman rule in the rebellious area. Sulla was victorious in squelching the rebellion after a four year struggle. When the revolt was squashed, Sulla told the leading citizens of the disgruntled cities to meet him at Ephesus. At Ephesus the citizens were to remit five years of back taxes and pay Sulla for his war debt.
To make sure the tax was collected, Sulla created “special agents.” These special agents were given the ability to scourge and kill, which was enough to make any taxpayer fall in line. Until this time there had been self-assessment tax collections, private tax collection, army tax collectors and regular government tax men. But these new “special agents” were highly skilled specialists with the arrogance of bureaucrats and the power of military executioners. Taxpayers lost all inclination to evade. If you’re feeling the pressure with today’s taxes, call a Tax Preparer in Cary, NC for all your tax-related needs!
Special Agents have emerged time and again in the course of history, surviving into the modern age as “fiscal police” or simply “special agents”, using the name first given by Sulla over two thousand years past. As the use of the general’s special agents was put in to place in other provinces, the army came to realize that the rich spoils of war came from their commander, not the Roman Senate. Roman generals returned to Rome with the unwavering loyalty of their soldiers. Huge civil wars started as rival legions slaughtered each other. With these semiprivate armies, establishment of a military dictator was inescapable. Thus, the Roman Republic died. Kings, dictators, and generals would now run the Roman Empire for the next 2000 years. Democratically designed governments and republics wouldn’t see a dominant role in civilization again until the 1800s. Go here if you want help with modern-day Tax Preparation in Cary, NC.
Keep an eye out for W. Marc Gilfillan’s next chapter in his History of Taxes series: Taxes and the American Revolution.
http://www.marccpa.com/