The thesis of the book is that nations and empires rise and fall mostly because of taxes. Chapter 16 is titled "The collapse of the Hercules of Europe". Charles Adams, the author, opens the chapter writing: "No nation in history better illuminates the thesis of this book than Imperial Spain".
The author is referring mostly to seventeenth Century Spain. It should be recalled that for half of that period, until 1640, Portugal was part of the Spanish Empire: "In the 17th Century this vast empire started to desintegrate. The English like to think the defeat of the Armada was the cause. That view is good for Anglo Saxon egos but it is not good history. Two thirds of the ships in the Armada managed to sail back to Spain. Furthermore, the Armada was defeated by weather more than English seamanship".
"The Duke of Wellington remarked that ´Spain was the only country in the world where twice two did not make four´. What really makes no sense is how a nation with the greatest military and naval forces in the world (...) could collapse for no apparent reason."
The reason, Adams argues, was taxes with their three usual consequences: fight (tax rebellion), flight (emmigration to avoid them) and fraud (or tax evasion): "The most hated of all Spanish taxes (...) was the alcaballa, a 10 p.c. excise on the transfer of all real and personal property (...) "
"Spanish taxpayers did not sit still and accept their burdens. Since they had no legal recourse and the Cortes was corrupt, they turned to extra-legal defenses - they went against the system (violence), underneath the system (evasion) and away from the system (flight). In their endeavours they were successful; the world had never seen, before or since, such defiance (...)".
"In the early 17th Century a Spanish writer called attention to the depopulation of Castille by flight to avoid tax (...) Where did the taxpayers go? (...) most of them fled to the New World (...)".
In the Netherlands, then under Spanish rule "the alcaballa was instituted, to be collected by force through a Council of Blood. (...) A prolonged civil war followed dominated by guerrila warfare. Even Dutch women took up arms (...)".
"A government study in 1619 concluded that the provinces must pay more taxes and share revenue burdens of Spain´s unwieldy empire. (...) Shortly thereafter the Crown triggered a war in Catalonia that many historians believe mortally wounded the empire. This revolt was triggered by taxation in its most odious form - the quartering of troops without means of support (...)".
"When the civil war in Catalonia was raging, the Crown instituted a 5 p.c. alcaballa in Portugal, contrary to the charter between Portugal and Spain. A ruthless Portuguese Quisling was appointed to collect this excise. Angry Portuguese attacked the palace, seized the governor and escorted him to the border; the ruthless tax administrator was lynched, and the Portuguese people have been independent ever since ".
"Excises on food set off revolts in Sicily and Naples (...)"
"The collapse of Spanish power abroad from tax rebellion at home permitted the British to seize Jamaica and other Spanish colonies. The Dutch took over the East Indies. From that time forth the rich fruits of Spanish imperialism became ripe plums for easy picking. Stealing the colonies of Spain became an international sport (...)"
(Charles Adams, Fight, Flight, Fraud - The Story of Taxation, Curacao: Euro-Dutch Publishers, 1982, pp. 143-148)
The author is referring mostly to seventeenth Century Spain. It should be recalled that for half of that period, until 1640, Portugal was part of the Spanish Empire: "In the 17th Century this vast empire started to desintegrate. The English like to think the defeat of the Armada was the cause. That view is good for Anglo Saxon egos but it is not good history. Two thirds of the ships in the Armada managed to sail back to Spain. Furthermore, the Armada was defeated by weather more than English seamanship".
"The Duke of Wellington remarked that ´Spain was the only country in the world where twice two did not make four´. What really makes no sense is how a nation with the greatest military and naval forces in the world (...) could collapse for no apparent reason."
The reason, Adams argues, was taxes with their three usual consequences: fight (tax rebellion), flight (emmigration to avoid them) and fraud (or tax evasion): "The most hated of all Spanish taxes (...) was the alcaballa, a 10 p.c. excise on the transfer of all real and personal property (...) "
"Spanish taxpayers did not sit still and accept their burdens. Since they had no legal recourse and the Cortes was corrupt, they turned to extra-legal defenses - they went against the system (violence), underneath the system (evasion) and away from the system (flight). In their endeavours they were successful; the world had never seen, before or since, such defiance (...)".
"In the early 17th Century a Spanish writer called attention to the depopulation of Castille by flight to avoid tax (...) Where did the taxpayers go? (...) most of them fled to the New World (...)".
In the Netherlands, then under Spanish rule "the alcaballa was instituted, to be collected by force through a Council of Blood. (...) A prolonged civil war followed dominated by guerrila warfare. Even Dutch women took up arms (...)".
"A government study in 1619 concluded that the provinces must pay more taxes and share revenue burdens of Spain´s unwieldy empire. (...) Shortly thereafter the Crown triggered a war in Catalonia that many historians believe mortally wounded the empire. This revolt was triggered by taxation in its most odious form - the quartering of troops without means of support (...)".
"When the civil war in Catalonia was raging, the Crown instituted a 5 p.c. alcaballa in Portugal, contrary to the charter between Portugal and Spain. A ruthless Portuguese Quisling was appointed to collect this excise. Angry Portuguese attacked the palace, seized the governor and escorted him to the border; the ruthless tax administrator was lynched, and the Portuguese people have been independent ever since ".
"Excises on food set off revolts in Sicily and Naples (...)"
"The collapse of Spanish power abroad from tax rebellion at home permitted the British to seize Jamaica and other Spanish colonies. The Dutch took over the East Indies. From that time forth the rich fruits of Spanish imperialism became ripe plums for easy picking. Stealing the colonies of Spain became an international sport (...)"
(Charles Adams, Fight, Flight, Fraud - The Story of Taxation, Curacao: Euro-Dutch Publishers, 1982, pp. 143-148)
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