Insane Feudal Tax in the Netherlands

[Tim Cornelis]

The aristorcratic owners of a castle in the Dutch town of Kamerik have levied a Medieval tax to pay for their castle.


Truly a case of 'you think it'll never happen to you': a few dozen residents of the town Kamerik have gotten imposed on them a long forgotten tax that dates back to the Middle Ages: the "thirteenth penny". The tax rates though are modernly high, "I need to pay 18,500 euro all of a sudden" says Nico Weesjes (67).
Nico WEesjes is not the only Kamerikker who resents this tax and isn't planning on paying. He and several dozen residents of the Utrecht village are faced with a tax that is as ancient as it sounds: the thirteenth penny. "The thirteenth penny comes from somewhere in the fifteenth century," says Joke Birnage of the 'Thirteenth Penny Foundation' who opposes using this tax.

http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1039/Utrecht/article/detail/3297379/2012/08/07/Bewoners-verrast-door-heffing-uit-15de-eeuw.dhtml

But this private, aristocratic family is legally perfectly allowed to extort between 15,000 and 60,000 euros from dozens of families to pay for the costs of owning a castle.

(http://www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/financien/nieuws/adellijke-familie-mag-nog-steeds-feodale.8321157.lynkx )

The family, described as "barons family," was allowed to levy this tax until it legally expires in 2015.

In essence, it's no different than taxation levied by the government but this one tax is particularly absurd.

[Thirsty Crow]

In essence, it's no different than taxation levied by the government but this one tax is particularly absurd.
I don't think this is the case.
The tax in this instance is exclusively used to fund a private endeavour - that is, the costs of housing maintenance and probably living costs of a specific family.
It's entirely absurd that such a practice would be allowed even by bourgeois standards.

[Tim Cornelis]

I don't think this is the case.
The tax in this instance is exclusively used to fund a private endeavour - that is, the costs of housing maintenance and probably living costs of a specific family.
It's entirely absurd that such a practice would be allowed even by bourgeois standards.

Obviously this is an excessive form of taxation, but it still resembles "conventional" taxation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_mortgage_interest_deduction

In essence, you receive tax-money for owning a home. This means the larger the home, the higher the tax deduction.

[RedHammer]

I'm not too surprised. Europe still has "Royalty" and many countries, though parliamentary monarchies, still give the nobility a few extra privileges. The saddest bit is that people fawn over these clowns.

[Ethics Gradient, Traitor For All Ages]

That's crazy, what are the consequences for not paying?

[Robocommie]

Time I guess to resurrect another medieval custom; "storming" the castle.

[Die Neue Zeit]

Time I guess to resurrect another medieval custom; "storming" the castle.

But you have to lay siege to the castle first! :p

[cynicles]

This is the most absurd thing I've heard of in a while, but if they get to levy a ridiculous tax like this then do the towns people get to drag them out and decapitate them when they decide to finally get rid of them?

[RedHammer]

This is the most absurd thing I've heard of in a while, but if they get to levy a ridiculous tax like this then do the towns people get to drag them out and decapitate them when they decide to finally get rid of them?

http://www.runtogold.com/images/guillotine.jpg

But in all seriousness, I think the fact that royalty still exists at all is absurd. Whatever their reduced powers may be, we still have an institution wherein people are able to live privileged lives for no good reason other than that their great-great-great..........grandfather was able to conquer some land or whatever.

This tax needs to go. But so do all royalty and nobility.

[Rusty Shackleford]

It would be hilarious if the dutch borugeoisie, in an attempt to reassert control in Kamerik decided to re-enact the french revolution, but live action. And only one showing.

[piet11111]

I will firstly state that my knowledge of my own country's history is sketchy at best.

But the origins of this tax was to support a fortress and a small standing army to protect the local area from invaders as such in its historic context it made perfect sense.

However this tax is now used as a means to get money for the organization that manages castle Renswoude.
And this tax will be abolished in 2015 so for the organization its just a last attempt to get money out of the people who live in Kamerik.

[Q]

Dafuq? Haven't heard of this one yet.

Doesn't the government and related institutions (like the "waterschappen") have a monopoly on raising taxes? If so, this could effectively be battled in court. Use bourgeois law against them. If not, then yeah, storm the castle!

[Robocommie]

Can you imagine how much Dutch history this statute has survived? I mean we're talking before the Hapsburgs, before the Dutch Reformation and Willem van Oranje, before the United Provinces... all of it.

[Raúl Duke]

Siege the castle, put its feudal people under the guillotine