With the Government taxing everything these days, i have compiled some interesting taxes from years gone by.

Window Tax - Properties were taxed on the number and sizes of their windows, leading to many being bricked up to reduce their tax burden.

Chimney Tax - Properties were taxed on the number of chimneys, this led to fires being set onto one internal middle wall with one common chimney for them all.

Road Tax - This has been in existance for many years, the most hilarious ones were when people tried to colour pack horses to look like oxon as these were taxed at a lower rate.

Bridge Tax - Anyone with a bridge over anything were taxed, rivers, canals, streams, or even ditches were taxed on their square area. This led to the introduction of larger bridges being built and tolls being introduced.

Wheel Tax - Carts pulled by animals were taxed on the number of wheels they had on them, this was a locally applied tax and led to the introduction of the two wheel buggies or traps for carrying people in an attempt to reduce this tax.

Tree Tax - These taxes were levied locally on land owners with woods or copse's, this was an attempt to remove these trees to allow the land to turned over to food production.

Tobacco Tax - Levied on those who grew their own tobacco plants in an attempt to stop people from growing their own, due to customs losing tax on the imported tobacco. Nothing new with this one then.

Lamplight tax - Lamps, oil or candles placed outside someone's property carried a tax if this was a public right of way such as a street ot track. Lamps declined and crime from highway men, of footpads increased significantly where the law was applied. Carriage lamps were exempt, this led to carriage lamps being placed outside properties, and the classic design still being in use today.

Gate Tax - Gated entrances which used metal gates attracted a tax, this was dependent upon the sixe and number of the metal gates, this is why so many old wooden gates survive and very few metal ones.

Inevitably someone always asks: was sex ever taxed; yes it was.
Taxes were paid in towns and cities for each child born, this varied from town to town, and on the number of children you had. The more you had, the more the rate went up.

Just a little hilarity of some taxes of years gone bye.