MODERN-DAY tax systems have moved a long way from those of medieval states where state assets had long been a source of government revenue. Rome had a sixth of its income from state-owned land while Athens and Renaissance Genoa had their own silver and alum mines respectively.
Most of the great European monarchies possessed large royal domains which gave them for a while their principal source of revenue. In many instances, when these royal domains did not raise enough revenue, the crown had to turn to direct taxation through parliamentary acts. Indeed, it has been said that the crown’s lack of independent means was the main reason for the growth of parliamentary power in the late 16th and 17th centuries.