The Lesson in Tax Practices, Part 6: Tax Law and The End of Romans
Posted on December 10, 2009
Filed Under Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
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 in what is now Turkey. He had an amazing ability to rouse discontent among unhappy taxpayers. In 88 BC he led a civil war against the Romans. By granting 5 years of tax immunity to each city that followed his army, he mustered considerable support.
The Roman Senate sprang into action and appointed General Sulla to raise an army and re-establish Roman rule in the rebellious area. Sulla was victorious in suppressing the rebels, but only following a 4-year war. When the revolt was crushed, Sulla told the leaders of the disgruntled cities to meet him at Ephesus. At that place the citizens were to remit five years of back taxes and pay the general for the cost of the war.
To enforce this tax, Sulla created “special agents.” These special agents were given the ability to scourge and kill, which was plenty to cause any taxpayer cooperative. Up until this period there were self-assessment tax collections, private tax collection, military tax collection and the traditional government tax collectors. However, these newly instituted “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 in the modern age as “fiscal police” or just “special agents”, given the title first instituted by Sulla over 2000 years past. As the use of Sulla’s special agents was instituted in neighboring nations, 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 blind loyalty of their soldiers. Great civil wars broke out as rival legions fought. 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 two thousand years. Democracies and republics wouldn’t see a large 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/
Comments
Leave a Reply