The ancient Romans preferred to sell themselves into slavery instead of paying taxes Bashny.Net

Taxes in Ancient Rome were on the maintenance of the regular army and the Imperial Guard. Every free citizen of the Roman Empire was obliged to pay taxes. Most of these people were the landowners, attached to their land, and their escape was essentially nowhere.

But the servants of the law to pay taxes was not necessary, so that smallholders simply sell themselves into slavery and that way avoid tax obligations. Eventually this practice became so popular that the Emperor Valens was forced to issue a decree on the illegality of the sale into slavery itself.

via factroom.ru