Earned Income Tax Credit | The History of Tax Law, Chapter 6: Taxation and The End of the Roman Empire

The History of Tax Law, Chapter 6: Taxation and The End of the Roman Empire

W. Marc Gilfillan

W. Marc Gilfillan, CPA, NC, individual and business CPA and Tax expert, shares about the history of taxes…

Mithridates the Great ruled a tiny nation near what is currently known as Turkey. He had the extraordinary ability to rouse discontent among unhappy taxpayers. In 88 BC he led a civil war against Roman rule. By promising five years of tax immunity to every city that joined his army, he mustered substantial help.

The Roman Senate quickly took swift action and told General Sulla to muster an army and restore Roman authority in the rebellious area. Sulla was victorious in suppressing the rebellion after a 4-year struggle. When the revolt was squashed, Sulla told the leading citizens of the disgruntled cities to meet him at Ephesus. There the citizens were to remit 5 years of back taxes plus compensate Sulla for his war debt.

To enforce this tax, Sulla instituted “special agents.” These special agents were given the ability to scourge and kill, which was enough to make any taxpayer cooperative. Up until this period there were self-assessment tax collectors, corporate tax collecting, military tax collection and regular government tax men. But these newly instituted “special agents” were highly skillful specialized men with the ignorance 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 been instituted several times in the past, surviving in the modern age as “financial police” or just “special agents”, given the name initially given by Sulla over 2000 years past. As the use of the general’s special agents was put in to place in other provinces, soldiers came to understand that the rich spoils of war came from their general, as opposed to the Roman Senate. Roman generals returned to Rome with the unwavering loyalty of their soldiers. Huge civil wars started as rival armies fought. With these semiprivate armies, the institution of a military dictator was inescapable. Thus, the Roman Republic died. Royalty, dictators, and military strategists would now rule for the next two thousand years. Democracies and republics would not play a dominant role in civilization again until the 1800s. Go here if you want help with modern-day Tax Preparation in Raleigh, 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/

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