Question

What were the taxes that the middle class had to pay during the old regime?

Answer 1

The treasury of France was empty due to the following reasons:
Long years of war took most of the money French treasury had.
Cost of maintaining an extravagant court at the immense palace of Versailles.
For helping thirteen American colonies to gain their independence from Britain.
Interest rates – 10 % interest charges on more than 2 billion livres of debt.
Regular expenses, such as the cost of maintaining an army, the court, running government offices or universities etc.
Taxes imposed on middle class:
Tithe – Tax payable to the Church as one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
Taille – Tax payable directly to the state.
Other taxes – Many indirect taxes payable to the state levied on everyday articles like salt or tobacco.
Feudal dues – Tax payable to the Nobles.

French society in the 18th century was divided into three estates. The society of estates was part of the feudal system.

1. Clergy - Group of persons invested with special functions in the church. It extracted its share of taxes called tithes from the peasants. Tithe was a tax levied by the church, comprising one-tenth of the agricultural produce.
2. Nobility – It include the group of people from administrative field. They enjoyed certain feudal privileges. These included feudal dues, to be extracted from the peasants and using them as their personal slaves.
The Clergy and Nobility group held almost 60% of the land and were exempted from paying taxes to the state.

3. The 3rd estate comprised of rest of the population of which 90% were peasants, landless labour and servants. Only a small percentage of population consisted of Big and small businessmen, merchants, teachers, court officials, lawyers etc. Out of these even smaller number of them owned land. They had to pay all kinds of taxes levied by the state and Church. They lived in pathetic conditions and had work very hard to earn bare minimum livelihood.

Answer 2

$\textbf{HEY MATE!!}$

Good question ♥

After the emptying of France treasure. King Louis XVI implemented the estate general. As, French population was divided into three estates.

$\textbf{Clergy}$ : Church and Church officials come under Clergy estate.

$\textbf{Nobility}$ : King and Royals come under Nobility estate.

$\textbf{Third estate}$ : The remaining people like Artisans, Bussinessmen, farmers etc.

Louis XVI implemented taxes only to the Third estate people. The taxes were in the form of Thithes and tailes. The other taxes Were collected on the land.

HOPE THIS HELPS U...