There is an expression that “death and taxes are always with us.” In one way or another, people have been paying taxes since very ancient times. But there is a big difference between the taxes of ancient times and the taxes we pay today.

In ancient times people paid a tax on things they consumed, and they had to pay a tax, or duty, on imported articles. These taxes were levied by the rulers on the people, and were usually as high as they could possibly bear. It was the duty of the underprivileged classes— slaves, vassals, peasants, colonists, and conquered peoples — to support the ruling class.