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Tax Planning Essay It was the responsibility of the Satrap to collect the due amount and to send it to the emperor, after deducting his expenses (the expenses and the power of deciding precisely how and from whom to raise the money in the province, offer maximum opportunity for rich pickings). The quantities demanded from the various provinces gave a vivid picture of their economic potential. For instance,  Babylon  was assessed for the highest amount and for a startling mixture of commodities; 1,000  silver talents  and four months supply of food for the army. India, a province fabled for its gold, was to supply gold dust equal in value to the very large amount of 4,680 silver talents. Egypt was known for the wealth of its crops; it was to be the granary of the Persian Empire (and, later, of the  Roman Empire) and was required to provide 120,000 measures of grain in addition to 700 talents of silver. This was exclusively a tax levied on subject peoples. Persians  and  Medes  paid no tax, but, they were liable at any time to serve in the  army. [12] In India, Islamic rulers imposed  jizya  (a  poll tax  on non-Muslims) starting in the 11th century. It was abolished by  Akbar. Numerous records of government tax collection in Europe since at least the 17th century are still available today. But taxation levels are hard to compare to the size and flow of the economy since  production  numbers are not as readily available, however. Government expenditures and revenue in France during the 17th century went from about 24. 30 million  livres  in 1600-10 to about 126. 86 million  livers  in 1650-59 to about 117. 99 million  livres  in 1700-10 when  government debt  had reached 1. 6 billion  livres. In 1780–89, it reached 421. 50 millionaires. Taxation as a percentage of production of final goods may have reached 15%–20% during the 17th century in places such as  France, the  Netherlands, and  Scandinavia. During the war-filled years of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century, tax rates in Europe increased dramatically as war became more expensive and governments became more centralized and adept at gathering taxes.