Salt tax
Encyclopedia
A salt tax is literally a tax
levied directly on salt
, usually proportional to the amount of salt purchased (e.g. by the pound). In ancient times, salt was extremely valuable as a preservant, and, in some cultures, nearly worth its weight in gold. Words such as salary are derived from the same root as salt and indicate its vitality to civilizations. As an example, ancient "salaries" could literally be quantities of salt.
Due to the rarity and importance of salt, levying a tax on its commerce was extremely lucrative, but also widely dispised and controversial.
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Below are some notable examples of salt taxation throughout history.
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
levied directly on salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, usually proportional to the amount of salt purchased (e.g. by the pound). In ancient times, salt was extremely valuable as a preservant, and, in some cultures, nearly worth its weight in gold. Words such as salary are derived from the same root as salt and indicate its vitality to civilizations. As an example, ancient "salaries" could literally be quantities of salt.
Due to the rarity and importance of salt, levying a tax on its commerce was extremely lucrative, but also widely dispised and controversial.
----
Below are some notable examples of salt taxation throughout history.
- The French GabelleGabelleThe gabelle was a very unpopular tax on salt in France before 1790. The term gabelle derives from the Italian gabella , itself from the Arabic qabala....
- The salt tax in China at various times including that under the TangSalt commissionThe Salt Commission was an organization in Tang China used to raise tax revenue from the state monopoly of the salt trade.-History:Following the An Lushan Rebellion revenues from the land tax began to fall. The equal-field system that sustained the land tax was undermined by the aristocracy and...
and the Mongol YuanYuan DynastyThe Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
. - The salt tax in IndiaHistory of the British salt tax in IndiaTaxation of salt has occurred in India since the earliest times. However, this tax was greatly increased when the British East India Company began to establish its rule over provinces in India. In 1835, special taxes were imposed on Indian salt to facilitate its import. This paid huge dividends for...
including that under the British.