Vespasian. It was he who instituted the "urine tax"
The Roman emperor Vespasian (7-79) he earned the reputation of "miser" also due to some taxes bizarre taxes on the population.
In reality, the economic-financial one was one of the most serious problems to which the first of the Flavi was forced to cope, and in order to succeed in the attempt to restore public coffers, the man did not hesitate to "invent" actually "special" tributes.
Suffice it to mention the famous vectigal urinae , a real urine tax , that all tanners and fullones (those who dealt with wool) of the Empire were forced to pay to buy pee necessary for their work.
In fact, at the time, ammonia naturally contained in urine, it was used, among other things, as a detergent and whitener for fabrics and was therefore collected in abundance in public latrines.
It is said that it derives precisely from Vespasian's decision to tax (even) urine, the ancient Latin saying " pecunia non olet “, Or“ money doesn't stink ", Which would have been the response provided by the Emperor himself to his son Titus, when he had reproached him for the measure taken.
It seems that by showing him the amount of money raised, Vespasian asked Tito if by chance he did not feel offended or bothered by his smell, and having said no to him, he concluded by saying: "and yet comes from urine " .