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

Mithridates the Great ruled a tiny country near what is currently known as Turkey. He had the extraordinary power to rouse discontent among disgruntled taxpayers. In 88 BC he organized a rebellion against the Romans. By promising five years of tax exemption to each city that joined his rebellion, he gathered substantial support.

The Roman Senate quickly took swift action and told General Sulla to raise an army and re-establish Roman rule in the east. Sulla succeeded in suppressing the rebellion, but only following a 4-year war. When the revolt was crushed, Sulla ordered the leaders of the revolting cities to meet him at Ephesus. At that place the citizens were to remit 5 years of back taxes and pay Sulla for the cost of the war.

To make sure the tax was collected, Sulla instituted “special agents.” These special agents were given the power to scourge and behead, which was plenty to cause most taxpayers cooperative. Up until this time there were self-assessment tax collectors, corporate tax collection, army tax collectors and regular government tax collectors. However, these newly instituted “special agents” were very skillful specialized men with the ignorance of bureaucrats and the power of military executioners. Taxpayers lost any 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 course of history, surviving in the modern age as “fiscal police” or simply “special agents”, given the name initially instituted by Sulla over 2000 years past. As the use of Sulla’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 blind loyalty of their soldiers. Huge civil wars started as rivalling armies fought. With these semiprivate armies, establishment of a military dictator was inevitable. Thus, the Roman Republic died. Kings, dictators, and generals would now rule for the next 2000 years. Democratically designed governments 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/