As far as I know, taxes have been part of life for as long as civilization existed. Although I know there have been different kinds of taxes for different products and tariffs for trade, I always thought that income tax was the "core" tax that most governing bodies used to collect revenue. I just recently found out that even in the United States income tax is a relatively recent thing, so my question is who is the first person/people to implement the income tax, where and when was it implemented, and how did the populace reacted to it?
Most taxes have historically been on property or goods. The first income tax that comes to mind was introduced in GB by Pitt the Younger in 1798 to help pay for the War with Napoleon. The tax was set at 2d to the pound for incomes above 60 pounds rising to two shillings on incomes over 200 pounds (i.e. a 10% rate).
The tax was abolished in 1802, reinstated a year later as hostilities renewed and then abolished again in 1816. It had become so unpopular (due to changes in the way it was calculated and who it applied to) that the records and all documents relating to it were burned (except of course for the copies that had been quietly made)
Source: HMRC