So I was browsing random stuff today and stumbled upon something totally ridiculous.
Taxes. We all hate them. Especially when they are for silly stuff. But wait till you hear about the.... beard tax 😂😂
So, once upon a time Peter I of Russia had the bright idea to introduce a tax on beards in 1698, to encourage men to adopt the European standards of the time. And if you didn't want to save... No problem! As long as you paid the beard tax 🧔
And for those that didn't, the police had the liberty to forcibly shave them even right on the streets, lol.
There was even a beard token, that the tax payers had to carry at all times in case they were checked by the police.
The token was made of copper or silver and looked something like this:
source
🧔 cute 🧔
The beard tax had a short run (till 1705 - 1708) and raised an annual average of about
3,588. According to historians, it wasn't much of a success, at least from a financial perspective. That mostly due the combined police incompetence to force the tax and the unwillingness of most Russians to save :)
It formally repealed by Catherine the Great in 1722.
Wikipedia has a whole entry on the story, plus other similar efforts to impose a beard tax if you'd like to read more on the subject!
Btw, I had a look on eBay for the beard token. It seems to go for around 30 $ if you would like to buy the one made of silver. If you'd prefer a graded one, there is one listing for about 80$ nevermind it's a copy. Considering the age, it's much cheaper then what I would expect.
Ok friends, I guess this is it for today. Breathing tax soon?!
