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Ancient Romans would sell themselves into slavery rather than pay taxes

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Ancient Romans would sell themselves into slavery rather than pay taxes

No one likes taxes. Alright maybe the government likes them, but they're basically the only ones. Everyone else would rather keep their money and dread the process of filing their taxes and tax returns. Alas, taxes keep our countries running, though so we can't very well escape them entirely.

The ancient Romans had a different view though. They found taxes so deplorable that they would rather give up their personal freedom than pay them. In Rome, taxes were gathered to pay the salaries of the military and imperial guard. Workers were tied to their land and compelled to pay taxes.

In order to avoid this, some small landowners would sell themselves in slavery. Slaves didn't have to pay taxes. This became somewhat of a common tax-evasion tactic. So much so that Emperor Valens made it illegal to sell oneself into slavery.

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