Overview

Income tax was sanctioned by Parliament in 1799 to help meet the huge costs of war with Napoleon Bonaparte

Bowing to public pressure, Parliament abolished income tax in 1816, but reintroduced it 26 years later

Taxes in the 18th century consisted of a direct tax on land, and a wide assortment of duties on consumables and luxuries

Not all new taxes have achieved public support and have led to heated debates in Parliament

Early 20th century welfare reforms demanded that Parliament approve new and controversial forms of taxation

Parliament's measures in World War I increased the number of income tax payers almost threefold

The Second World War brought even greater numbers of British workers into the tax-paying fold

One of Parliament's chief responsibilities is to authorise taxes to pay for nationally important items of expenditure