The most curious taxes in history – viewed analytically
Wig, beard and urine taxes: The ingenuity of kings and tsars in collecting taxes sometimes bore peculiar fruit.
King Frederick I of Prussia capitalized on the popularity of wigs at the beginning of the 18th century, levying a tax of three talers per artificial hairpiece. Inspectors would check passersby's wigs in the street for the stamp that served as proof of payment.
Russia's Tsar Peter I was bothered by long beards and levied a beard tax starting in 1698. Anyone who refused to part with their facial hair had to pay. Equally amusing are the door and window taxes levied in England until the mid-19th century and in France until the early 20th century. A finely calibrated tariff system determined the tax payable based on the number of windows and doors. Unsurprisingly, citizens optimized their tax burden by keeping the number of windows and doors to a minimum. Even today, houses with bricked-up windows can be seen in France.
