Poll tax
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United States
A poll tax is a voluntary tax that must be paid to exercise the right to vote. The 24th Amendment of the US Constitution, ratified in 1964, outlawed the use of this kind of tax as a condition of voting. Poll taxes were levied in several states after the Civil War for the purpose of preventing poor people from voting. In the southern states, this effectively suppressed African American and Native American voters.[1]
Great Britain
The poll tax, also known as the community charge, was a failed attempt at a true level tax, introduced by Margaret Thatcher in Scotland in 1988 and in England and Wales in 1990. The thinking behind it was that instead of traditional taxation systems based on income, the total tax requirement would be divided by the population, thus ensuring that everyone paid the same amount. While popular with those who had previously been paying high levels of taxation, it proved unpopular with the poor, many of whom were left with tax bills of more than their entire income. Disquiet with the poll tax, combined with her growing personal unpopularity and a sense within her party that she was an electoral liability[2], forced Thatcher from office in November 1990. She was replaced by John Major.
References
- ↑ http://www.usconstitution.net/constamnotes.html#Am24
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/31/newsid_2530000/2530763.stm
External links
- Newsfilm Online Poll Tax Riots in London. ITN mid-evening news, March 31 1990. Accessed July 7 2007 (Requires Windows Media Player or Apple QuickTime)
