Philadelphia’s first tax law 30 January 1693:
“Put to the vote: as many are of the opinion that a public tax upon the land ought to be raised to defray the public charge, say ‘yea’.
“Yea!”
– Carried in the affirmative, none dissenting.”
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OK, if that was their first tax law, where did their money come from, please, Artificial Intelligence?
Before Philadelphia’s first tax law was enacted on January 30, 1693, the funding for public expenses in the early colonial period likely came from a variety of informal sources, as was common in nascent colonial settlements like those in Pennsylvania. Since this was Philadelphia’s initial formal tax legislation, prior to that, the government and community would have relied on alternative means to cover costs.
In the late 17th century, colonial governments, including William Penn’s Pennsylvania colony (of which Philadelphia was a part), often depended on contributions from settlers, fees, fines, and grants or loans from proprietors or wealthy individuals. William Penn himself, as the founder and proprietor, invested significant personal funds into the colony’s establishment, including infrastructure and governance. Revenue might also have come from trade, such as the sale of goods like furs, timber, or agricultural products, which were staples of early Pennsylvania’s economy. Additionally, quitrents—annual fees paid by landowners to the proprietor—were a common mechanism in Pennsylvania, though enforcement was inconsistent in the colony’s early years.
Without a formal tax system before 1693, Philadelphia’s public charges—such as maintaining roads, supporting officials, or funding defense—would have been met through these ad hoc methods. The decision to implement a land tax in 1693 reflects the growing need for a more structured and reliable revenue stream as the settlement expanded and its administrative demands increased.
So, in short, before the 1693 tax law, Philadelphia’s money likely came from a mix of voluntary contributions, proprietor funding (like Penn’s), trade income, quitrents, and fees or fines, rather than any formalized taxation.