Poll Tax Riots

31st March 1990: the largest protest against the poll tax takes place in central London. The poll tax was an attempt by the Thatcher government to alter the way the tax system was used to fund local government in Britain. The government had long promised to replace domestic rates, which were unpopular, especially among Conservative voters. The proposed replacement was a flat-rate per capita Community Charge. The Charge proved extremely unpopular: while students and the unemployed only had to pay a small percentage, large families using a relatively small house saw their charges go up considerably, and the tax was thus accused of saving the rich money and moving the expenses onto the poor.

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This post was written by hm