With the Chancellor due to give his Autumn Statement on 22 November, and with talk of possible tax tinkering, this got us thinking about UK tax and some of the more obscure historical taxes we’ve seen come and go in years past.
In this blog we take a look at five historical taxes that you may not have previously known existed.
Playing card tax
A tax on playing cards is thought to date back to the late 16th Century – around 1588 – when King James I decided to raise revenue by requiring card makers to pay for a stamp that would be carried on the ‘Ace of Spades’ card. The ‘stamp duty’ continued throughout Queen Anne’s reign in the 1700’s, and was not abolished until 1960!
Window tax
In 1696, William III introduced Window Tax. This was a banded tax based on the number of windows a person had in their house.
The tax itself led many people to brick up their windows, in an effort to avoid paying the charge and in 1851, due to concerns over ill-health resulting from a lack of natural light and ventilation, the tax was cancelled.
Wallpaper tax
Another obscure tax introduced during Queen Anne’s reign, in 1712, was Wallpaper Tax. The tax applied to printed, patterned or painted wallpaper, and was seen as a great way to raise revenue as the industry boomed and the product became more ‘premium’.
Whilst in force, the tax increased from 1d to 1.75d, before it was eventually abolished in 1836.
Hat tax
Between 1784 and 1811, the British Government levied the ‘hat tax’. This was seen as a way of raising revenue in accordance with a person’s deemed wealth. The logic being applied was that a rich individual would own a larger number of more expensive hats.
Hat retailers were required to purchase a licence, and the duty levied on a hat was determined by its retail price. A revenue stamp would be pasted on the lining of the hat as proof of the levy having been paid.
Clock tax
In 1797, Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer William Pitt introduced a levy on clocks and watches. This came about as the price of these items declined and so they became increasingly popular purchases.
The tax was extremely short-lived, and it was repealed in 1798.
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