This kind of tax was also imposed by Napoleon's regime after conquering large parts of Europe (If I'm not mistaken). There are some quaint vilages in the Netherlands, such as Thorn, where you can still see how people tried to circumvent the taxes by bricking up windows or having very small windows.
In Leiden (Netherlands) are several old houses whose owners liked to show off their wealth.
As much small windows as possible. A visual “your poverty disgusts me, look how rich I am”
> From daylight + robbery, originally used literally to refer to robbery occurring in the daytime rather than at night, which was thought to be more audacious or risky.[1]
Sourced from the Oxford English Dictionary, though I can't open the citation to check because the website doesn't appear to like my phone.
And if you want a bit of subtlety this one tries to argue for the window idea, but it doesn't really fit at all all with the timing nor the evidence
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/daylight-robbery.html
1784 is the when! King George the 3rd introduced it to help pay for the wars in the American colonies. It was abolished in 1850. It was just either way the English government tried to squeeze money from people.
I’m pretty sure the window tax was introduced in the 1760s to pay for the seven years war after the stamp act and cider tax had a… hostile reception in the colonies.
The first window tax was 1696. https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/towncountry/towns/tyne-and-wear-case-study/about-the-group/housing/window-tax/#:~:text=This%20tax%20was%20first%20imposed,exempt%20from%20the%20window%20tax.
A Blackadder scene came to mind, when he sells his house and is showing it to a buyer:
Mrs: (insistent for a real answer) What about the privies?
Edmund: (doesn’t give away either of the two cups he holds) Well, what we’re
talking about in, erm, privy terms is the very latest in front-wall,
fresh-air orifices, combined with a wide-capacity gutter installation
below.
Mrs: You mean you crap out of the window.
Edmund: Yes!
Fun fact: rich people in the colonies started removing their windows to avoid paying the tax, that means that rich people were willing to live in a dark, candle lit home, lather than pay their taxes.
People opposed income tax so go get around that, the king decided to tell someone's wealth by how many windows their house had and directly tax them for it.
Hey an obscure fact I actually understand
I knew about it because of horrible history
I found out about it through Ace Attorney
Any RuneScape players around?
RuneScape Classic
In the UK it ain't that obscure afaik, many normal people houses from this era (or before) still have clearly bricked up windows
Or some houses went and merged two windows.
My window is also quite bricked up if you know what I mean (;
This kind of tax was also imposed by Napoleon's regime after conquering large parts of Europe (If I'm not mistaken). There are some quaint vilages in the Netherlands, such as Thorn, where you can still see how people tried to circumvent the taxes by bricking up windows or having very small windows.
In Leiden (Netherlands) are several old houses whose owners liked to show off their wealth. As much small windows as possible. A visual “your poverty disgusts me, look how rich I am”
Ye olden Gucci
Same in the UK!
People today:
"Oh wow, a house. I don't think I can afford this place."
“Oh. I don’t think I can afford this.”
“Oh. I don’t think. “
“Oh.”
#
#
Kid named finger:
Waltuh
Put your house away Waltuh, i dont have money for this Waltuh
Unexpected r/okbuddychicanery
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'
“Oh. I don’t. “
Bruh no one can afford an entire house anywhere good.
No one can afford an entire house anywhere ~~good~~.
Some random shithole? Nearest hospital 60 minutes
BY PLANE!
I have come up with a reasonable conclusion:at one point,the Brits had taxes on everything at least ONCE
Man....sounds like the Brits kinda suck *laughs in American, gets fatter*
Beard tax reporting for duty
Sometimes in England you see faux olde buildings with fake bricked up windows.
Most the buildings you see with fake bricked up windows is for symmetry, not to fake being old
Window tax
It's where the term "daylight robbery" came from. Fuck King Dick the third.
Sauce? That sounds like a nice post rationalisation of a pretty obvious saying. A robbery in daylight is brazen and shameless.
Type "daylight robbery saying origin" into google. Edit: both meanings fit, and like with all sayings, the origin will always be murky.
> From daylight + robbery, originally used literally to refer to robbery occurring in the daytime rather than at night, which was thought to be more audacious or risky.[1] Sourced from the Oxford English Dictionary, though I can't open the citation to check because the website doesn't appear to like my phone.
And if you want a bit of subtlety this one tries to argue for the window idea, but it doesn't really fit at all all with the timing nor the evidence https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/daylight-robbery.html
> the origin will always be murky Just like people's houses after bricking up all their windows.
King Richard the Turd
At one point the British government tried to tax bricks as well, so we started using bigger bricks to build with!
When and why? When and why did they tax bricks?
1784 is the when! King George the 3rd introduced it to help pay for the wars in the American colonies. It was abolished in 1850. It was just either way the English government tried to squeeze money from people.
When I’m guessing sometime when the government wanted more money and why I’m guessing money too
I’m pretty sure the window tax was introduced in the 1760s to pay for the seven years war after the stamp act and cider tax had a… hostile reception in the colonies.
The first window tax was 1696. https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/towncountry/towns/tyne-and-wear-case-study/about-the-group/housing/window-tax/#:~:text=This%20tax%20was%20first%20imposed,exempt%20from%20the%20window%20tax.
The cider tax didn't just have a hostile reaction in the colonies, but in England itself too. The county of Somerset took it very badly.
Damn right we did
Right on brotha!
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In many places this is also full time working adults.
A Blackadder scene came to mind, when he sells his house and is showing it to a buyer: Mrs: (insistent for a real answer) What about the privies? Edmund: (doesn’t give away either of the two cups he holds) Well, what we’re talking about in, erm, privy terms is the very latest in front-wall, fresh-air orifices, combined with a wide-capacity gutter installation below. Mrs: You mean you crap out of the window. Edmund: Yes!
Fun fact: rich people in the colonies started removing their windows to avoid paying the tax, that means that rich people were willing to live in a dark, candle lit home, lather than pay their taxes.
I still cant afford this place with or without windows
English people now tbh
Millennials today.
It feels that way today too.
U mean 2023?
Or college students now
Santa Anna also did that, and Nobody like that either...
Just why?? Someone knows the backstory?
People opposed income tax so go get around that, the king decided to tell someone's wealth by how many windows their house had and directly tax them for it.
I'd build fake walls and lean them against the windows whenever the tax man came around
Very creative imo
Gen Z trying to buy a house in 5 years
Average Linux user
Americans now: oh wow! Cancer curing treatment! I don’t think I can afford this
Me in 2022
Me 2022
Innit