Tax Farmers

Tax farmers were officials or companies appointed by governments, especially in historical contexts, to collect taxes and revenues from the population. Instead of the government collecting taxes directly, they would grant the right to a person or group, who would then extract a specified amount of revenue. Often, tax farmers paid a fixed sum upfront to the government and kept any additional amount collected, which could incentivize over-collection. This system was common in feudal and early modern states but could lead to abuses and corruption. Today, the term is largely historical, but it highlights methods of revenue collection used in past political and economic systems.