The Lesson in Taxation Practices, Section Six: Tax Law and End of the Romans
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 the amazing ability to arouse discontent with unhappy taxpayers. In 88 BC he led a civil war fighting the Romans. By granting 5 years of tax immunity to every city that joined his rebellion, he mustered substantial help.
The Roman Senate quickly took swift action and told General Sulla to muster 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 ordered the leading citizens of the revolting cities to meet him at Ephesus. At Ephesus the citizens were to denounce the 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 power to scourge and behead, which was enough to make most taxpayers fall in line. Until this period there were self-assessment tax collectors, corporate tax collecting, army tax collectors and the traditional 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 hope to evade. If you are feeling the pressure with today's taxes, call a Tax Preparer in Raleigh, NC for all your tax-related needs!
Special Agents have emerged time and again in the past, surviving in modern times as “financial police” or simply “special agents”, given the name initially instituted by Sulla over 2000 years past. As the use of the general's special agents was put in to place in other nations, the army came to understand 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 armies fought. With these moderately private armies, the institution of a military dictator was inevitable. So, the Roman Republic died. Royalty, dictators, and generals would now rule for the next two thousand years. Democracies 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 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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