Viral list claiming dozens of taxes didn’t exist a century ago is wrong

A Facebook post shared more than 132,000 times makes a number of misleading claims about taxes that didn’t exist “100 years ago”.

The post, which has also been circulating elsewhere on the social media platform in recent days, is almost identical to posts we previously checked in 2022.

It includes a poem about tax, and then lists dozens of different taxes—including income tax—as levies that did not exist a century ago, adding: “Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world.”

The list in the viral social media post also includes some examples of apparent modern-day taxes which either don’t exist at all, or don’t exist in the UK.

These include “Medicare Tax”, which appears to refer to the US Medicare programme, and Goods and Services Tax, which exists in Australia and India but not the UK. 

The post also incorrectly claims some UK taxes didn’t exist a century ago when several are actually older than that.

Income tax was first introduced in 1799 by then-Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, as a means to balance the nation’s finances during a war against Napoleon’s forces. 

While it was intended to be a temporary tax, and was repealed in 1802 after a peace treaty was signed, it was revived the following year after war broke out once again with France, and lasted until 1816. 

It was then re-introduced in 1842 by then-Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel, and has remained in place in various forms ever since. 

A number of other taxes cited also existed in the UK more than 100 years ago. Excise duties were first imposed on beer and tobacco in 1643 and the 1909 ‘People’s Budget’ was the first time a duty was payable on petrol by drivers of motor vehicles. A “death tax”, known then as estate duty and the forerunner to inheritance tax, was also introduced in 1894.

The posts also refer to a “Cooking Tax” and a “Workers Compensation Tax”, which do not exist, and a “Poverty Tax”—which may have existed in the form of the ‘poor rate’ but which was absorbed into the ‘general rate’ local taxation in 1925.

They also mention a “Fishing Licence Tax”. There is no specific tax under this name, although a rod fishing licence is a permit you have to pay for. They also reference a “Driving Permit Tax”, but while drivers have to tax their vehicle, they do not get taxed on their licence.

Before sharing information you see on social media it’s important to consider whether it comes from a trusted and verifiable source. Our toolkit can give you tips on how to navigate content online.