W. Marc Gilfillan, CPA, NC, individual and business CPA and Tax expert, shares about the history of taxes…
Ancient Egypt was not a land of terrible oppressors and oppressed slavery – that’s simply the stigma we get from the tale of Moses, which came at a time of chaos in Egypt. Actual translations of hieroglyphics 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 enjoyed. 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 policies. Most everything was taxed – sales, slaves, foreign people, imports, exports, and businesses. Crops were taxed at a hefty 20%. There was even a charge on cooking oil and scribes would make regular visits to kitchens to make sure that free drippings were not being used instead of the taxed oil.
The word “freedom” ironically in ancient Egypt did not refer to one’s political or social liberty but to a person’s taxation level. If you were “free,” it meant that you were exempt from taxation. Ironically, the word can’t 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 not brutal (at least in theory). They were taught to act kindly towards the poor and defenseless. One ancient translation instructs: “if a poor farmer is in arrears with his taxes, remit 2/3 of them.”
Another translation encourages scribes to “lighten up everyone and to put them into good humor.”
And, if anyone is suffering 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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