Emergency Financial Contribution for Military Purposes

In response to the pressing needs of The Union, an expeditious fund for military forces is essential. Before establishing and choosing permanent and proportional taxes for maintenance, all landowners including secular and ecclesiastical in Poland-Ukraine are to contribute to a one-time hearth tax, traditionally paid by peasants and manor houses. Leaseholders, tenants, and lessees will pay an annual hearth tax in two installments: half in March, the other in June. This tax avoids disruption to the currency flow and is levied on the manors, not the peasants, with immediate deduction from future taxes. Exempt are nobles without tenants except their own household, as well as the housing of begging orders (Mendicant), vicars, parish priests, hospitals, and also Jewish homes (although their head tax is increased). For royal properties, occupants performing serfdom will replace the payment typically made by owners of secular and ecclesiastical lands this time only, which will be deducted from their established general taxes. Royal and ecclesiastical towns will pay their hearth tax independently within the specified periods and will receive equivalent deductions from the royal treasury. Funds raised from this hearth tax are allocated solely for military necessities, not for other expenses.

Topics: needs of the Commonwealth; military fund; permanent taxes; hearth tax; landowners and ecclesiastical estate holders; leaseholders and Dutch settlers; serfs; royal and ecclesiastical towns; primary military needs;