Historical Tax Avoidance
Tax avoidance has been around as long as taxes. One historic example of tax avoidance still evident today was the payment of window tax. It was introduced in England and Wales in 1696 with the aim of imposing tax on the relative prosperity of individuals as the bigger the house, the more windows it was likely to have and the more tax the occupants would pay. Nevertheless, the tax was unpopular, because it was seen by some as a ‘tax on light’ and led property owners to block up windows to avoid it. The tax was repealed in 1851.
Other historic examples of tax avoidance were the deliberate destructions of roofs after World War II in order to avoid substantial property taxes. The owners of buildings like Fetteresso Castle (now restored) and Slains Castle in Scotland deliberately destroyed their roofs in protest at the new taxes.
Similar posts you may like
- 5 Keys to Establishing a Profitable Tax Planning Division
Minimum 10% of practice fees. Within 12 months, we need to achieve tax planning revenue equivalent to 10% of the practice’s revenue. Achieving this Read more
- The Brick Tax of 1784
The brick tax was a tax on bricks and tiles introduced in Great Britain during King George III’s reign to help Read more
- Australia’s Luxury Car Tax Introduced in 2000
The luxury car tax (LCT) is a tax on cars with a GST inclusive value above the LCT threshold. The Australian government introduced Read more
- A Tax on Beards Was Introduced in 1535!
A beard tax is one of several taxes introduced throughout history on men who wear beards. In 1535, King Henry VIII of England (who Read more
"You’d be stupid not to try to cut your tax bill and those that don’t are stupid in business"
- Bono: U2