Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-05-16
The Eastern Questionable. 8.
TURKISH TAXATION.

The Turkish system Of levyng and collecting
taxes IL Of such grinding character that IL would
be oppressive, even II carried out with regularity
and honesty The amount which may be collected
legally Ia so great and is taken in such a manner,
that even the best Of collectors would be looked
upon by the population ~ the common enemy Of
the country. But the legal taxes though unreas-
onably large and lnconvenient, are exceeded in
amount by the illegal; and the extent OF both is
practically determined by the caprice Of the tax
farmer, 80 that a vicious system is made tenfod
more grievous by the way in which it is applied
In order TO give az clear an idea a. possible OF
what the taxpayer has To endure in Turkey,
will endeavor to describe the Of his suffer
ings during one season. Taxes are paid In differ
ent ways They are sometimes but very rarely,
collected by government agents. In the great
majority of cases they are sold to the highest bid
der who pays the money for them in six INSTALL
ments, beginning on the 22d Of September and
ending in February. Az no security is demanded
from the bidder by the government, tax-iarming
is business which can be entered into by any
man, neither capital nor good character being re-
CURED Naturally competition is great and bids
are high As is unavoidable, the most unscru-
pulous and dishonest bid the highest, and are sue
cessful. The price paid for taxes increases every
year, and has long since passed the limits at
which the peasant is justified in paying, according
to law The tax-farmers, however, are willing to
run the risk. Having the whole machinery Of
government administration at their backs, they
ieel of getting what they want II it is to be
found in the country The taxes are sold in the
,ummer but sometimes not till late in August,
when the grain is already cut and standing in
hooks on the field from which it must not be re-
moved till the collector comes round, who selects
very tenth sheaf of grain for himself. The
,easant must then collect these sheaves, bring
hem to the common threshng- floor of the village
nd thresh them. This must be done immedi-
,tey, and before he hauls his own grain home,
nd it takes a good deal Of time. The shocks on
he field are all disananged, since the collector
earches for the best sheaf in ten This is but
mall part of the trouble The collector may be
ANY days late in coming for his tthes, The
| rain, however must wait in the field for his
| umng. When lie does come he brings with him
number OF horses and assistants, all of whom
| We at the peasants expense, eating and drinking
| he best he has or can get, and giving him no pay
| ir his trouble and expense Before the harpies
| - away he is obliged to sign paper that he has
| 'een duly paid.
The above mentioned are not the only hard
| hip- Of the peasant. Sometimes the taxes are not
| Did till ~ late ~ the twentieth of August when
| he grain has been cut for at least two weeks. 1t
| nay be two weeks more before the collector
ONES. In the meanwhile the peasant cannot
ring his grain To the barn, if he has one or stack
| tup or even touch it ia the field lest he might
'ecrete or make away with some of it, In the
interval heavy rains storms may come and de-
troy half his crop, The collector does not care
Is he generally eelssur that enough will remain
ndamaged to furnish his part. In fact, he delays
m purpose in order to force the peasant TO buy
lin off in money in order to save some portion
his crop. In this way double and TRIBE taxes
ire taken, so great is the power of annoyance in
| the hands of the collector,
| If it il asked, " How can this be done o. the
lnswer is that the officials of the district are
IN league with the collector, and share his il-got
ten gains wrung out Of the wretched country peo-
DE ON hay fruit Indian and vegetables,
the tithes are paid in money, and here the field
for extorton and abuses is still greater. The col
lector estimates both the amount and value. In
remote districts peasants have not much money,
especially in harvest time, and they completely
helpless in such a Fruit is estimated on the
tree, potatoes onions and other vegetables in the
ground. II "A peasant has a few apple trees the
collector declares them to yield double or triple
what they actually do lie, poor man, has moth
ing to do but to pay or cut down the trees. Thi,
latter remedy has been applied in many instances.
frees have been cut down rather than pay the
taxes their fruit This, strange as it may seem,
has been the only defense against grossly exhor-
bitant taxes. During the past year many thou
sand valuable olive trees were cut down and sold
for firewood, rather than pay taxes the fruit.
4 potato field which will yield, perhaps, fifty
: bushels, is estimated at hundred or a hundred
and twenty. Cattle are also taxed They are in
spected in the early spring, rather toward the
" end of winter. When the season is a severe one
many sheep die from the results of bad keeping
= caused by scarcity of fodder The coectori is now
T. very sure to be on hand as early as possible and
estimate the number before the mortality Is very
great The flock numbers, say one hundred; tive
pr three weeks from that time twenty thirty Of
Il them have died; but the tax has been paid IL
d money on the one hundred, and no deduction vii
= be made. II the peasant has not the ready none,
II TO pay this tax his flock will be seized and sole
for perhaps half or less than half its value til
e the sum is made up The collector has also trcl
= # counting the heads less than they are, and com
u ny few days later pretends to discover that th'
= lumber is greater than when he counted-charg'
y he peasant with having deceived him by con
Il ealing a certain number The owner is ther
bliged to pay, as Il fine, double the value of til,
-tock purposely left out; one-half of this goes I,
q he collector and the other half to the government
|, With regard to fruit aud vegetables. the process
d : the following: The collector appears and tell
II he owner olive will say-ten apple trees thai
II heir Weld il sixty bushels, while in reality 1t 4
= ,ut forty As the owner has no refuge agains
4. his estimate for protest on his part would aus
i i'm to suffer fer non-pay mept Of taxes the quan
/, ity is accented. Next comes the price. 1t h
Al chen stated that apples are worth "A dollar
I, bnshel when they will sell for no more thai
e. .eyenty-fye cents give these figures as an II
h. lustrtion Mark the ditference-iorty bnshe
/, It enty-fye cents per bushe would be wortt
H. thirty dollars; the tenth part, or tthes, woulC
n ne three dollars; while on sixty bushels at on,
81 lollar per bushe the tax would be six dollars OF
/, lust double. So it goes on with regard to ever,
in product on which the tithes have TO be paid il
jr money. Fxtortion appears first in the estimate
IL Of the quantity and then in the valuation If tn,
r. peasant has not the money to pay the tax, hi
n produce is sold at auction for what it will bring
H. and is often bought up by the tax-farmer himself
ne The taxes ON wine and tobacco are the mos