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Pick the unreal tax

May 6, 2011, 06:06 AM
Authors : Daniel
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Post date : May 6, 2011, 06:06 AM

Which of the following is the odd one out?

All are utterly ridiculous and archaic, but only two have been made reality. Pick the one that hasn’t.

  1. A 16% tax on the earnings of witches and sorcerers.
  2. UK voting system that allows only payers of at least £100 income tax a year to register.
  3. A tax on beards, with a sliding scale based on the wearer's social position.

The answer will be revealed later (after web editor has had his lunch).

Tweet your guess to @Taxation or leave it on our Facebook page.

UPDATE, 3.40pm: The answer is 2. The beard levy was instigated by King Henry VIII in 1535 (and later revived in a slightly altered form by his daughter, Queen Elizabeth), while the tax on magicians was imposed earlier this year by the Romanian government to force charlatans into paying their way.

That regressive and elitist tax system, however, remains a fantasy of The Daily Telegraph’s personal finance editor, Ian Cowie.

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