The Pee Tax of Emperor Vespasian

Did you know that one Roman emperor created a tax so bizarre, that people thought

he’d completely lost his mind? And it involved… human pee. This was Emperor Vespasian.

Rome was broke after years of chaotic emperors — so Vespasian made a new policy: If something exists,

you can tax it. And he meant anything. So he placed a tax on public toilets. Not on using them

— but on the urine itself. Why? Because Rome’s leather workers used urine’s

ammonia to treat hides. Meaning: Pee had economic value. So Vespasian said:

“If you profit from pee… Rome will profit too.” His son Titus complained, saying:

“But Father, this is disgusting.” So Vespasian held out a handful of coins and said the