Various Types of Taxes levied
in the Ancient World
1] Soul Tax
Henry VIII of England, his daughter Elizabeth I and Peter the Great of Russia taxed beards. William III of England imposed a tax on windows, while Charles II introduced tax on hearts. Henry I imposed a tax on people who didn't want to fight and die for England. Peter the Great imposed a soul tax on all those who believed they had souls. Those who claimed they didn't have souls had to pay an equal amount as religious dissent tax.
2] Hard Labour
In Egypt, the word for "taxes" meant "labour". Some 100,000 people are said to have laboured for 20 years on the Great Pyramid, or the tomb of Khufu. There was a rumour that the Pharaoh had sent his daughter into prostitution to finance the project. In addition to her fee, she reportedly charged each customer an extra block of stone, to be used for her own pyramid. The pyramid in question contains at least 20,000 blocks.
3] Bachelor Tax
History has many examples. Julius Caesar levied it in 18 B.C. England imposed it in 1695. Peter the Great used it in 1702. Benito Mussolini also imposed a bachelor tax on unmarried men between 21 and 50, in 1924. The tax meant more than money for Spartans as bachelors in the ancient city state were required to march around the public market in wintertime stark naked, while singing a song making fun of their unmarried status.
4] Income Tax
The first income tax in the world was levied in England in 1404 AD, and was highly unpopular. Parliament later had all records of it burned.
5] Urine Tax
Roman emperor Vespasian imposed a tax on public urinals and the sale of urine for industrial purposes in order to raise revenue. When his son Titus questioned this policy, Vespasian held up a coin to the nose of Titus and famously said, "Money doesn't stink".
6] Breast Tax
Legend has it that in some kingdoms of ancient India, a breast tax was imposed on women belonging to disadvantaged sections of society, with tax collectors measuring the breasts and levying tax accordingly. One woman is said to have cut off a breast and handed it to the collector rather than suffer this humiliation.
7] Funeral Tax
Bonnie Hourihan of New Brunswick, US was shattered when her 19 year old son committed suicide. But there was another shock for her local laws required that she cough up $900 for the funeral.
8] Pole Tax
Last year, Texas imposed a $5 tax on every customer visiting a strip club. Dubbed the 'pole tax', it was declared unconstitutional by a court within a few months. But the ongoing downturn has led to a rash of such proposals from other states. Georgia and New York are actively thinking of squeezing the bump-and-grind crowd, while Texas has filed an appeal.
9] Tattoo Tax
Anyone getting a tattoo, body piercing or even electrolysis treatment in Arkansas has to pay an additional 6% tax as the state has included tattooing and body piercing in the list of services subject to sales taxes.
10] Taxing Pot
In February this year, San Francisco's Democrat Assemblyman Tom Ammiano proposed a tax on marijuana use in California, in the same manner as alcohol. Cannabis is supposed to be California's biggest cash crop and Ammiano hopes to net huge revenue for the state which is on the brink of bankruptcy.
11] Sex Tax
Though prostitution is legal in Germany, Cologne levies a "sex tax" on prostitutes, strip shows and pornographic cinema. Under this tax, introduced in January 2004, a prostitute has to pay 150 euros a month to the city. Part-timers pay six euros for each day worked. The "sex tax" brings in over 1 million euro annually.
12] Head Tax for Chinese
In the early 20th Century, Canada levied a head tax on every Chinese person entering the country to discourage the wave of immigration. New Zealand too imposed a similar tax, for the same reason. Both countries later apologized for the racist tax New Zealand in 2002 and Canada in 2006. 
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