I feel like we’ve been here before…
"They say death and taxes are the only things that are inevitable. The truth is, you can not pay your taxes. I've done it, and there's consequences, but it can be done. Death you're not going to get out of, and you kind of got to deal with it" - Steve EarleWe tend to think that civilization consists of the finer things in life like literature, art, science, and the security of knowing that wild beasts and barbarians will be kept at bay. These are only "symptoms" of civilization, which can ultimately be boiled down to one fundamental element - taxes. The first monkey that swung down from the trees and convinced his primate compatriots to hand over their hard won fruit for the ambiguous idea of "community" invented civilization. The monkey that originated the idea of throwing his own feces in protest invented the concept of "political punditry", but that's a story for another occasion. Taxes are so essential to civilized life that the origins of writing are rooted in keeping a record of who had paid their taxes. It's no wonder historically that the collapse of civilizations starts with an onerous change in the tax laws.
The taxation policies of 3rd Century A.D. Roman Emperor Diocletian drove many people into bankruptcy and starvation, and were said to have greatly contributed to the disintegration of the Roman Empire. 2nd Century Han China came apart as local landlords increased taxes on the peasants, leading to the Yellow Turban Revolt. The American Revolution embraced the oddly uninspiring slogan "No taxation without representation". Basically, when things start to go to hell in a handbasket, it usually starts with disgruntled taxpayers. We make a lot of self-righteous noise about the rights of man, but we generally start reaching for the pitchforks and torches when someone wants an extra dollar from our pocket. 16th Century Holland was no exception.
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