September 1: Tax on Beards
On 1 September 1689, Пётр Алексе́евич Рома́нов, Пётр I, Pyotr I –better known in English as Peter the Great –instituted a tax on beards.
Peter the Great was born in Moscow on 30 May 1672 and was appointed co-Tsar with his brother in 1682. Because neither boy had reached the age of majority, they ruled under the patronage of their sister Sophia. After she tried to usurp the throne, Sophia was exiled to a convent. After Peter’s brother died in 1689, Peter the Great remained in power.
When he became Tsar, Russian was considered a backward country. During his reign Peter the Great took on a variety of reforms of the military, government, domestic and church reforms. He sent many Russians to Europe to be educated. As part of the modernism of Russia, Peter the Great ordered his ministers and other officials to adapt European dress. It was as part of this modernization that the tax on beards was imposed. The Russian Orthodox clergy were exempt from the tax.
Peter the Great was not the first ruler to impose a tax on beards. In 1535, England’s Henry VIII imposed a tax on beards; a tax that was reintroduced by his daughter Elizabeth I.
In addition to the tax on beards, there are a number of other unusual taxes that have been imposed over the years.
- England established a tax on windows. (1696)
- New York City taxes sliced bagels, but not whole bagels. (Current)
- Newly freed slaves had to pay a tax on their freedom. (Ancient Rome)
- Tennessee required drug dealers to anonymously pay taxes on the drugs they sold. (2005)
- England had a tax on hats. (1784)
- Scutage, also known as the cowardice tax, was imposed in England on people who refused to fight for Henry I. The tax was raised by 300% under King John. (12th century)
- Nero and Vespasian levied a tax on urine which at the time was a valuable raw material. (1st century)
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Although tax collectors have historically been viewed disparagingly, there is hope for members of this profession. After all, St. Matthew was a tax collector.
–Steven L. Berg, PhD
Photo Credit: 1717 token given to Russians who paid the beard tax.
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105 years after Peter the Great’s tax on beards, the Whiskey Rebellion took place as a protest to Alexander Hamilton’s whiskey tax. The Secretary of Treasury formed the tax in an effort to reduce national debt. Many farmers complained that the tax was too high and took too much from their livelihood. When officials came to collect the taxes, militiamen assembled to prevent the tax from being enforced. Washington led an army to the rebels, but all violence had dissipated before their arrival and there was no fight. Years later, the tax would be repealed, but would forever serve as a reminder of the people’s temperament towards harsh taxing.
-Zach Yates