The Augustan Financial Reforms

• reformed provincial taxation:

Republican system:

stipendium: payment made by provinces like Spain and Gaul (fixed)

tithes/pasture dues: paid by provinces like Sicily and Asia (varied according to yield)

collected by publicani ('tax collectors')

Augustan system:

two main taxes (collected by city authorities rather than by publicani)

tributum capitis: poll tax, paid by all adults in most provinces, sometimes by males only

tributum soli: land tax

• instituted customs levies: 25% at frontiers, 2 1/2 % at provincial boundaries -- these were collected by publicani
• imposed 5% tax on inheritances to finance the aerarium militare, 'military treasury' (paid by citizens too)
• seems to have retained the Republican aerarium, but allowed greater freedom in how transactions were made
• established the fiscus or provincial treasury
• appoints procurators to oversee the finances of imperial estates