Impost op de dranken koffie, thee, chocolade etc, 1717 1717

This is "Impost op de dranken koffie, thee, chocolade etc," a Dutch broadside from 1717 created in Leiden. These printed announcements were a crucial way for the government to communicate tax laws to the public. This broadside outlines the regulations for taxes on luxury items like coffee, tea, and chocolate. We can see how the state is involved in regulating even the most intimate aspects of domestic life. These taxes reveal how consumer goods were becoming increasingly integrated into daily life and the state’s interest in them as a source of revenue. Who had access to these goods? What did it mean for the social life of Leiden? These goods were becoming increasingly visible and available, yet their consumption was still subject to the state's monitoring and regulation. Even something as seemingly simple as a cup of coffee becomes entangled with larger questions of state power, economic policy, and social life.