# has there ever been a government that didn't collect taxes?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-government-that-didnt-collect-taxes/507534>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 24, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-government-that-didnt-collect-taxes/507534 "2009-08-24T18:30:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-government-that-didnt-collect-taxes/507534/21 "2009-08-25T23:07:04Z")

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> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#):
>
> Sure could, except when we were at war. Although, there were also federal land sales which were important in some years (but not much after the Civil War, when there was free homesteading.)

As I understood it, the costs of administering federal land sales pre-Civil-War pretty much canceled out any revenue they got; it was a budgetary wash.

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**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-government-that-didnt-collect-taxes/507534/22 "2009-08-26T03:44:03Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Do you have a cite?

See [here](http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/readings.nsf/ArtWeb/2D52A4CFD2844FAB85256E22007840E6?OpenDocument) and [here](http://www.atypon-link.com/AEAP/doi/pdf/10.1257/jep.21.1.49?cookieSet=1) (page 52; pdf).

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2009, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-government-that-didnt-collect-taxes/507534/23 "2009-08-26T04:31:05Z")

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> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Not only tariffs, but taxes on booze, tobacco and the like. Alcohol taxes were a significant item of revenue. Thus “moonshine” and “revenuers” .

And there were more than a few folks miffed when those taxes were first introduced: [Whiskey Rebellion - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_rebellion)

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