The Birth of Income Tax: 1799

Imagine London in 1799. Britain is at war with Napoleon, and the treasury

is completely empty. Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger needed a miracle to fund the

massive British Royal Navy. So, he introduced something radical:

the world's first ever national income tax on the wealthy. But the British

public was furious. To calm them, Pitt made a very specific promise. He swore this

tax was temporary, solely to defeat the French and nothing more than that.

Napoleon was eventually defeated, but the government realized they actually liked the steady

flow of money. Two centuries later, that temporary tax is still here. Some promises are