From ‘eisphora’ to ‘munera’: a brief history of tax in Europe

Throughout history, people have come up with very creative ways – some of which are a little on the unusual side – for tax collection. Let’s find out about some of them.

In Athens, the capital of Ancient Greece, eisphora was a kind of tax imposed in times of war. All Athenian citizens had to pay this tax which was used for the State’s expenditure on weapons and the upkeep of the army. Once the war ended though, Athenians no longer had to pay this tax and were sometimes reimbursed with the additional resources the State gained during the war. 

During the Roman Empire, all sorts of taxes were created: property tax, custom duties, general tax on sales of goods and inheritance tax. What many people may not realise is that we still pay these taxes today!

One of the very first taxes was munera, otherwise known as duty or obligation. Affluent Romans would pay this tax to contribute to the running of the Roman Empire. 

In the past, citizens around Europe had to pay some very unusual taxes, such as a tax placed on urine in Roman Empire or window tax invented during the reign of King William III in England. 

Another tax in England was known as the ‘guest fee’. When the Vikings invaded England, they refused to leave unless the English paid them to do so. 

You can learn more about these and other strange taxes  in the microlearning clip “How did taxes come about?” 

Designed for students aged 9 to 12, the clip also explains how the countries manage tax collection and spending nowadays and highlights the benefits of taxes. 

It is available on the TAXEDU digital platform, which features e-learning resources, videos and educational information about taxes in 22 EU languages.