Why the Wealthiest 1% of Ancient Athenians Happily Paid Their Taxes
And bragged about it too.
Taxes have always been important in developing societies. They date back to at least the 4th or 5th century BC in Ancient Athens. They had a tax called a Liturgy that was largely the duty of the wealthiest 1% of the population.
The word liturgy came from the ancient Greek Leitourgia, which means ‘public service’ or ‘work of the people.’ Using this psyche of public good, these citizens were asked to pay huge sums and fund the city-state’s most important expenses, which were the Navy and Honors for the gods.
The citizens actually felt good while paying taxes to the government because it was considered a duty and honor to do so. Not only this, but they also bragged about paying and even went above and beyond the call of duty to make a name for themselves.
Thomas Martin, professor of classics at the College of the Holy Cross, explains that in Athens, it was considered a privilege to pay taxes because only the rich had that kind of money, and they loved the status and social capital that would come with doing so. He observes,
“To be a rich taxpayer who was good and useful to his fellow citizens counted even more than money in the bank. And this invaluable public service profited all Athenians…
