Public toilet tax

In the 70s AD, Rome was ruled by Emperor Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian the Elder. The just ended civil war devastated the treasury and the ruler had to look for new ways to replenish it. Vespasian decided to introduce a tax on public toilets. It is no secret that in those days baths and toilets, in addition to their direct purpose, were also centers of public life; townspeople went there to talk and exchange the latest news. In addition, the Romans became so accustomed to marble public toilets that they were forced to pay tribute. There is a legend that Vespasian's son Titus reproached the emperor for the ignoble origin of the money. Then the emperor brought the coins to his son’s face and asked what they smelled like. Titus replied that nothing. To which Vespasian retorted: “It’s strange, but they are made of urine!” This is where the famous expression “money doesn’t smell” comes from.

Tax on cowardice

In the 13th century, the English king John the Landless, after another war with the French, which ended ingloriously for the English, returned home. The treasury was empty, and the king was angry at the defeat. Then in 1214 he ordered the introduction of an exorbitantly high tax for the barons who refused to side with the king in this military campaign. He ordered the collection of three marks from each knight's fief, that is, more than 40 shillings in silver. This marked the beginning of resistance among the English nobility. The northern barons were the first to rebel. Dissatisfaction with the king's policies grew and, as a result, the barons renounced their vassal allegiance to John. The king found himself powerless and entered into negotiations with the rebel barons. The result was the signing of the Magna Carta.

Sparrow tax

No matter how strange it may sound, such a tax actually existed in Germany in the 18th century. In Württemberg, since 1789, by decision of Duke Karl Eugen, money was charged for these small birds. Sparrows destroyed crops, so the owner of each house had to kill 12 pests, for which he was paid 6 kreuzers. Those who refused to chase birds were obliged to pay the state 12 kreuzers. This even led to an underground trade in dead sparrows.

Beard tax

Everyone knows that in 1689 Peter I introduced a beard tax. The Emperor wanted to make Russia more European and started with its appearance. Beards were divided into several types - boyar, peasant, merchant, etc. A peasant could wear a beard in the village, but when entering and leaving the city he had to pay 1 kopeck for it. Merchants paid 60 rubles a year, large and foreign merchants 100. Peter ordered bearded men to wear clothes with a stand-up collar so that they would be uncomfortable, and if anyone wore other attire, he was fined. Those who could not pay their beard debt to the state were sent to hard labor. Then Peter got tired of fighting beards and simply banned them.

Window tax

In 1696, a tax on windows was introduced in England. Glass windows, due to the high cost of glass, were available only to the wealthy, so the duties introduced by King William III were, in fact, a tax on luxury. The tax was not imposed on every window: owners of houses with 10-14 windows paid one amount, and those with 15-19 windows - another. Between 1747 and 1808 the tax was raised six times. It was very easy to assemble since the windows are clearly visible from the street. This law influenced the culture and architecture of England; houses began to appear in which window openings were blocked with bricks. Some houses had no windows at all. English doctors complained about this, since damp apartments without light and fresh air were an excellent environment for the spread of various diseases. The window tax was only abolished in 1851.

Life tax

It would seem that what it is impossible to force people to pay for is the very fact of your existence. However, the English monarchs would argue here. For example, in the 14th century, King Edward, shortly before his death, introduced a poll tax - it was levied on every person over 14 years of age at 4 pence per year. England was devastated by the war with France, so the government was looking for new ways to generate income in every possible way. In addition, power went to 10-year-old Richard II, whose entourage more than once put their hands into the royal treasury. Then the young ruler asked parliament to increase the poll tax. English society was divided into 7 classes, of which wealthier citizens paid higher taxes. Failure to pay would result in a fine. As a result, the king's reckless financial policies, constant wars and the disastrous economic situation of England led to Wat Tyler's peasant uprising, which covered almost the entire country.

Bicycle tax

In 1910, the Simbirsk City Duma adopted a law according to which each bicycle owner had to pay the city 50 kopecks. Cyclists received a booklet with traffic rules for this. For example, they were prohibited from driving on sidewalks, gardens and parks, or traveling in large groups around the city. Each bicycle also had to have a license plate attached.

The now widely known and used phrase “money doesn’t smell” has ancient origins. The catchphrase was born during an instructive conversation between the Roman emperor and his son.

Books keep history

The history of the origin of the expression “money has no smell” has reached our days thanks to a book called “The Lives of the Twelve Caesars,” which is the most valuable monument of Roman literature. Its author is the ancient Roman historian, encyclopedist Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. He was very popular, the information he collected was often quoted, and his descriptions of emperors were often imitated.

The writer fascinatingly described historical events and details from the life of the rulers. He revealed in detail biographical information about them, paying attention not only to their appearance and habits, but also to the personal contribution of each to the development of the Roman Empire. The events described in the book refer to the period when Rome from a republic became an Empire.

Divine Vespasian and his love of money

One of the great emperors whose life was described by the author of the book is Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian, who was nicknamed the Divine Vespasian. His family was not noble. When his family came to power, the empire was greatly weakened by rebellions.

A distinctive feature of Vespasian, for which he was rightly reproached, according to the writer, was the love of money. The emperor introduced new heavy taxes and significantly increased tribute from the provinces. He bought things only for the purpose of selling them later at a profit. Without any hesitation, he sold job seekers to job seekers and excuses to defendants, without knowing whether they were innocent or guilty. He deliberately promoted the most predatory officials, as his contemporaries believed, to higher positions in order to give them the opportunity to profit and then sue them. Many believed that he was greedy by nature.

It was Vespasian who said “money has no smell.” Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus described this incident in his book. The son reproached Vespasian for taxing even the outhouses. Then the emperor, taking a coin from the first profit received, stuck it under his child’s nose and asked if it gave off a stench. To which the answer was “no”. The proverb “money has no smell” that arose later became widely used.

The Roman satirist Decimus Junius Juvenal used this story with Emperor Vespasian in his satire: “The smell of income is good, whatever its origin.” Thus, he also contributed to ensuring that the expression “money has no smell” was not forgotten.

Difficult times call for difficult decisions

Not everyone condemned the emperor for greed. Some, on the contrary, believed that he was forced to tighten extortion and extortion by the extreme poverty of the imperial and state treasury. Vespasian did not hide this. At the very beginning of his reign, he stated that to raise the state to its feet, he needed forty billion sesterces.

And this, according to the author of the book, was similar to the truth, since the emperor provided the best use for the “badly acquired money.” He was generous to all classes. Many cities that suffered from earthquakes and fires were rebuilt better than before. He showed the greatest care for talents and arts.

Thus, behind the popular and half-joking saying “money has no smell” there is a serious economic crisis of the ancient state and controversial, but still very creative decisions of the emperor.

Every day, every person must use two things - the toilet and money. But few people think about, or even know, that these two things are not only interconnected, but are also the “parents,” so to speak, of the catchphrase “money has no smell.” In the original, this Latin catchphrase sounds like this: Pecunia non olet (from the Latin Aes non olet - “money does not smell”). Where did the expression “money has no smell” come from?

The history of the appearance of this catchphrase goes back to the distant 69-79 years of our era and is associated with Rome. During this period, the post of Roman emperor was held by a certain Vespasian. According to various historical data, this emperor was a fairly prominent statesman with a number of advantages. He was distinguished, first of all, by his extreme frugality and ingenuity. Being in the role of head of his state, Vespasian tried in every possible way to fill the treasury, and therefore showed his resourcefulness in introducing new taxes.

It is worth noting that during this period, a sewer system already existed in Rome, created during the reign of the fifth king of Ancient Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Prisca, who ruled from 616 to 579 BC. This sewer was called the Great Cloaca (Cloaca Maxima). It is worth noting that this sewer system exists to this day, and even functions, however, not like all modern sewers, but as a storm sewer. The width of its channel is 3 meters wide and 4 meters deep. Gradually, with the development of the sewer system, public toilets began to appear (latrins - from the Latin “latrina”). The cloaca was the main channel into which sewage from city baths and public toilets was collected using various branches from it. There were branches all over the city, and there were even those that collected sewage from private houses. However, the appearance of public toilets was also preceded by the beginning of the formation in civilized Europe of such concepts as “shame,” “embarrassment,” and “public morality.” Thus, scientists attribute the birth of the first toilets to the Hellenistic era (323 BC - 30 AD).

During archaeological excavations in Rome, it was found that a toilet existed in almost every home. Moreover, not only on the first floors. Sewer drain pipes made it possible to build toilets even on the second floors of residential buildings. In addition, public toilets also began to appear, because civilized people had already grown to the level where they began to understand that not all things should be available for public viewing, and in addition, there are some things of a hygienic and intimate nature that require separate room. The very first public toilets appeared in gymnasiums (schools where physical education was taught, hence the name of the famous sports discipline - “gymnastics”) and were installed for the purpose of maintaining personal hygiene and sanitation. Public Roman toilets were distinguished by their sufficient comfort. They were equipped with marble seats, and were also connected to a fairly developed plumbing system - sewage was washed away by the flow of water, first into the Tiber, and then into the Mediterranean Sea.

Who said money doesn't smell?

Having come to power, Vespasian decided to introduce a tax on Roman latrines - latrines, i.e. public toilets. This tax was called cloacarium. Since the idea of ​​​​paying for public toilets belongs to Vespasian, it is believed that it was he who said the well-known expression “money has no smell” today. It is unlikely that he said this phrase verbatim; no one can verify this today. However, there is some written evidence that Vespasian is the author of this catchphrase. This expression is first found in the work of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus “The Lives of the Twelve Caesars”, but this phrase is not given there in the form of direct speech of the Roman emperor, but the situation is described as follows.

Vespasian's son Titus reacted negatively to his father's decision and condemned him for reaching out to the outhouses and taxing even them. Some time passed, and the cloacarium gave a significant increase to the state treasury. Then, when this money was received, Vespasian had a conversation with his son, during which he took one coin from the first profit, brought it to his son's nose and asked him if he smelled an unpleasant odor. Titus' answer to the question was "no." Hearing this, the emperor said, “But still, it is made of urine.”

Today, this catchphrase is known to absolutely everyone and is interpreted as follows: the money was not earned in a completely clean or honest way.

Every day, every person must use two things - the toilet and money. But few people think about, or even know, that these two things are not only interconnected, but are also the “parents,” so to speak, of the catchphrase “money has no smell.” In the original, this Latin catchphrase sounds like this: Pecunia non olet (from the Latin Aes non olet - “money does not smell”). Where did the expression “money has no smell” come from?

The history of the appearance of this catchphrase goes back to the distant 69-79 years of our era and is associated with Rome. During this period, the post of Roman emperor was held by a certain Vespasian. According to various historical data, this emperor was a fairly prominent statesman with a number of advantages. He was distinguished, first of all, by his extreme frugality and ingenuity. Being in the role of head of his state, Vespasian tried in every possible way to fill the treasury, and therefore showed his resourcefulness in introducing new taxes.

It is worth noting that during this period, a sewer system already existed in Rome, created during the reign of the fifth king of Ancient Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Prisca, who ruled from 616 to 579 BC. This sewer was called the Great Cloaca (Cloaca Maxima). It is worth noting that this sewer system exists to this day, and even functions, however, not like all modern sewers, but as a storm sewer. The width of its channel is 3 meters wide and 4 meters deep. Gradually, with the development of the sewer system, public toilets began to appear (latrins - from the Latin “latrina”). The cloaca was the main channel into which sewage from city baths and public toilets was collected using various branches from it. There were branches all over the city, and there were even those that collected sewage from private houses. However, the appearance of public toilets was also preceded by the beginning of the formation in civilized Europe of such concepts as “shame,” “embarrassment,” and “public morality.” Thus, scientists attribute the birth of the first toilets to the Hellenistic era (323 BC - 30 AD).

During archaeological excavations in Rome, it was found that a toilet existed in almost every home. Moreover, not only on the first floors. Sewer drain pipes made it possible to build toilets even on the second floors of residential buildings. In addition, public toilets also began to appear, because civilized people had already grown to the level where they began to understand that not all things should be available for public viewing, and in addition, there are some things of a hygienic and intimate nature that require separate room. The very first public toilets appeared in gymnasiums (schools where physical education was taught, hence the name of the famous sports discipline - “gymnastics”) and were installed for the purpose of maintaining personal hygiene and sanitation. Public Roman toilets were distinguished by their sufficient comfort. They were equipped with marble seats, and were also connected to a fairly developed plumbing system - sewage was washed away by the flow of water, first into the Tiber, and then into the Mediterranean Sea.

Who said money doesn't smell?

Having come to power, Vespasian decided to introduce a tax on Roman latrines - latrines, i.e. public toilets. This tax was called cloacarium. Since the idea of ​​​​paying for public toilets belongs to Vespasian, it is believed that it was he who said the well-known expression “money has no smell” today. It is unlikely that he said this phrase verbatim; no one can verify this today. However, there is some written evidence that Vespasian is the author of this catchphrase. This expression is first found in the work of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus “The Lives of the Twelve Caesars”, but this phrase is not given there in the form of direct speech of the Roman emperor, but the situation is described as follows.

Vespasian's son Titus reacted negatively to his father's decision and condemned him for reaching out to the outhouses and taxing even them. Some time passed, and the cloacarium gave a significant increase to the state treasury. Then, when this money was received, Vespasian had a conversation with his son, during which he took one coin from the first profit, brought it to his son's nose and asked him if he smelled an unpleasant odor. Titus' answer to the question was "no." Hearing this, the emperor said, “But still, it is made of urine.”

Today, this catchphrase is known to absolutely everyone and is interpreted as follows: the money was not earned in a completely clean or honest way.