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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Taxes, Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire


Tax Collectors in 16th Century Russia
One way or another the State will get the money it wants.


Taxes, Taxes and More Taxes

Simply it took a horde of locust-like tax collectors to fund the Roman Empire military machine, the massive Imperial bureaucracy and pay for the opulent lifestyle of the Emperor and his large family.

So some "barbarian horde" crosses over the Rhine, the Danube or the deserts of Arabia to set up shop. Sure the Emperor's army is gone, but once the initial looting and raping is over the locals notice that the Emperor's tax collectors are also gone.

Suddenly it looks like there is an upside to no longer being a citizen of Rome.


Professor Joseph Peden's great lecture on Taxes, Inflation and the Fall of the Roman Empire given at the Seminar on Money and Government in Houston, Texas, on October 27, 1984.

 


Marc Antony as Triumvir (43-31 BC)

The Roman Republic of Marc Antony died 2,000 years ago.  While American paper money becomes more and more worthless, Roman Republic gold coins have held their value to this day.  Maybe our hack politicians could learn a thing or two from Rome on money.

Roman tax collector
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