Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Tax day in ancient Egypt



American taxpayers take solace!

A recently translated ancient Egyptian tax receipt shows a bill that is (literally) heavier than any American taxpayer will pay this year — more than 220 lbs. (100 kilograms) of coins.



Written in Greek on a piece of pottery, the receipt states that a person (the name is unreadable) and his friends paid a land-transfer tax that came to 75 "talents" (a unit of currency), with a 15-talent charge added on. The tax was paid in coins and was delivered to a public bank in  Luxor (Thebes). Read more at Ancient Receipt Proves Egyptian Taxes Were Worse Than Yours.