Weirdest Tax Laws of All Time

Tax laws vary greatly from country to country, and the rules can be pretty weird at times – not to mention their complexity and extremely frustrating to fully comprehend.

Due to these varying rules and regulations, many people are forced to take on strange measures in order to avoid (read: minimizing) paying taxes on certain assets or transactions.

While some of these tax laws have been phased out over time, there are still plenty of interesting ones that remain today.

In this article, we will explore some of the funniest and weirdest tax laws that have ever existed in countries across the globe.

China’s Tax on Man-Days

China once had a “man-days” tax that required companies to pay government employees based on the amount of time their employees spent doing things like harvesting crops or mining minerals.

There have been many iterations of this tax throughout Chinese history, but the most notable one took place in the 1950s during the Chinese Civil War.

The tax was meant to fund the agricultural sector while also preventing farmers from leaving their fields to join the military.

The man-day tax was determined by the amount of land being farmed and the number of crops being harvested.

For example, someone growing rice would need about 120 man-days to harvest just one acre of land. The tax was in place for about five years before the government realized that it didn’t earn nearly enough to fund the agricultural sector or even the government itself.

Japan’s Tax On Employees Who Turn 30

Japan’s tax laws are notoriously strict, but they did have one hilarious law on the books for a while that was a bit less serious.

In the 1980s, Japanese workers who turned 30 had to pay a special “loser tax” on the day they turned 30. The tax was meant to be a bit of a joke to highlight the fact that people turning 30 are often considered to be “losers” by Japanese society.

The law was eventually repealed after about a decade, but there are still plenty of people in Japan who would consider it to be a “loser tax.”

Surprisingly, this wasn’t the only wacky tax law that Japan had in place during the 1980s. At that time, the government also had a rule in place that said one could deduct 80% of their losses on the stock market.

Spaniards Are Taxed For Being Unique

Spain has a long history of strange tax laws, but the strangest of them may have been the “uniqueness tax.”

This law first appeared in 1930 as a new way for the government to earn extra revenue, but it fell out of favor quickly over the following decade.

During the Spanish Civil War, the government tried to reinstate the tax, but it was once again quickly repealed. The uniqueness tax was a one-time tax that was imposed on people who were born with unique physical features.

The government was selective about what features were considered unique enough to be taxed, but common examples include blue or green eyes, red hair, and freckles.

Despite the fact that the uniqueness tax was rescinded in 1939, many Spaniards and tourists visiting the country have been left with the impression that the country continued to tax people for having unique features.

Very Odd and Discriminatory – So much so, back in the day, that the Swedish tax agency went out of its way to mock this tax!

Singaporeans Are Taxed Based On How Many Steps They Take

Singapore’s unique taxation system includes several rules that are meant to promote healthy living and prevent excessive wastefulness.

One of the most bizarre of these rules is the “tax on an unused gym membership.”

Singapore has a mandatory national health care system, so the government decided that it needed to take steps to prevent people from taking advantage of the system.

The government decided that Singaporeans who belong to a gym and don’t use their membership as much could be taxed 20% of the cost of their membership.

The purpose of this tax is to encourage people to use their healthcare benefits, but it has resulted in people being punished for making healthy choices.

Russians Have To Pay Taxes If They Get Married

Russia has a long history of imposing strange state tax laws, but the most recent one is definitely the weirdest.

In 2015, the Russian government imposed an income tax break on some people who got married.

The tax was placed on couples who received a gift from their friends and family, and it was meant to discourage people from giving high-value gifts.

The tax was imposed on individuals who received gifts worth more than $33,000, and it was meant as a way for the government to raise money for its national budget.

The tax was later repealed in 2016 after the government realized that it was a bad way to raise funds.

You may be wondering why the government didn’t just increase taxes on people getting married instead of imposing a gift tax.

Tax on mustaches and beards

In 1599, the British Parliament imposed a “beard tax,” which was meant to be a tax on mustaches and beards to help the government with its expenses.

This tax was meant to be imposed on all English men who had “any hairs growing on his upper lip.”

The tax was a very broad and unfair rule because it applied to men who were clean-shaven, men who had a mustache, and also men who had full beards.

This awkward tax was finally repealed in 1695.

Tax on packaged food

In the Philippines, a 12% tax rate is applied to packaged food.

However, if that food item is unpackaged, the sales tax rate increases all the way up to 48%.

Yes, you actually pay more tax on unpackaged food items than you do on packaged ones!

This is because the government of the Philippines believes that food that is unpackaged is more likely to be contaminated and pose a health risk to consumers.

As such, this rule is meant to encourage consumers to consume only safe foods prescribed by the world health organization.

Tax on latrine usage

In Singapore, there is a “GST” on the use of toilets. (now they are taking the 'piss' out of us... LOL)

If you are wondering what “GST” is, it means that “Goods and Services Tax” is imposed on these toilet visits.

You see, Singapore has a “clean and green” image, and part of this image includes having clean public restrooms.

To help fund the upkeep of these public restrooms, a GST is applied to people who use a public restroom.

The amount of this GST is actually quite high, as it is a whopping 10 Singapore dollars! That’s about $7.50 in U.S. dollars.

Tax on computer programmers

This headline sounds like a joke, but it is actually true!

In India, the computer programming industry has a very specific tax rule.

Any company that hires programmers must pay a tax rate of 120% on the salaries that they pay to those programmers.

This is because the government claims that programming is such a specialized skill that these programmers should be paid extra for their expertise.

Tax on yellow goods

In Malaysia, there is a tax rate on “yellow goods,” which are items that are yellow colour.

The reasoning behind this rule is that yellow items are often made from a cheap material that is prone to breakage or corrosion.

As such, the federal government decided to impose a higher tax rate on items that are yellow in colour.

Tax on pet grooming

In the United Kingdom and in the British tax code, there is a specific tax treatment for pet grooming.

If you are a pet owner who likes to get your furry friend groomed, you must pay an extra 20-pound tax on your grooming services.

This specific tax rate was imposed in 2000, and it was meant to help the government with its state income taxes and budget deficit.

Tax on athlete endorsers

In Malaysia, if a government agency or sports organization is partnered with an athlete or celebrity, they had their endorsement income taxed.

The reasoning behind this rule is that the government believes that these organizations are not paying a fair market rate for the services provided by the endorsers if it was made tax-free.

Indians Are Taxed Based On Their Farts

This may not be the weirdest tax law that’s ever existed, but it’s definitely one of the most bizarre.

In 1909, the British government implemented a tax on the production of hydrogen sulfide, a colorless, flammable gas that is found in farts. (how did they monitor and measure this?... LOL)

The tax was designed to help the government curb pollution, but it was repealed just six years later after it was deemed to be too expensive and due to having no way to control tax evasion.

For a while, the tax was imposed on all farts in India, but it was later limited to human farts only.

The tax was initially imposed on cows and sheep, but it was quickly expanded to cover humans as well.

The government realized that the tax was a bit silly, so it was eventually repealed after it proved to be a financial burden for the country’s citizens.

Canadians Have to Pay Taxes For Not Reading Newspapers

The Canadian government implemented a newspaper tax in the 1920s.

The tax was meant to help newspaper companies remain profitable during a time when many people had stopped reading newspapers.

The fat tax was imposed on all newspapers, but it was primarily targeted toward newspapers published in French.

The newspaper tax was meant to generate revenue for the government, but it was actually a pretty bad solution.

The government didn’t tax the newspapers properly, so they actually lost money on the deal.

The newspaper tax ended up costing the government more money than it actually made, so it was repealed in the 1930s.

Conclusion

It is true that tax laws are always changing, convoluted and they are often quite confusing.

In many cases, these laws are meant to be followed by businesses and large corporations that have the resources to navigate these complicated rules.

However, there are still plenty of examples of tax laws that only apply to individuals.

If you are ever unsure of how a tax law applies to you, it is best to consult with a tax professional for further clarification.