Question

The tax which the kings used to collect from the people in the Vedic period was called ___________?
A) Kara
B) Varman
C) Bali
D) Vidatha

Answer 1

Hint: First, the Vedic period (1500 BCE and before) witnessed the intermingling of the Aryans with the earlier inhabitants which made a decisive influence
not only on religion and spirituality but also on patterns of agriculture, industry, trade and overall productivity. The Vedas and the Upanishads and our great epics came to guide and determine the way of living and thinking of the elite as well as the common people.

Complete answer:
The king's tax law was the next logical step after the king's freehold theory of land. Manu describes the king as the absolute master of the land and as such the king was entitled to his share of the land yield. The king's permission was required to buy, sell, and donate land. In reality, the land was owned by the people, and the king only claimed absolute ownership. As long as the people worked the land and paid their taxes, they were fine, but otherwise, the king could exercise his power and confiscate the land.

In the early Vedic period, the king regularly imposed taxes on his subjects. These taxes were called Bali and included 1/6 of the agricultural products or livestock for a given person. Another form of Bali was the tributes that the king withdrew from defeated enemies. There was a system to collect these taxes, but the exact details have been lost over time. Even when other forms of tax emerged in later periods, Bali still existed. A special tax was used that was used differently by different kingdoms to generate additional income.

Thus, the correct answer is an option (C) The tax which kings used to collect from the people in the Vedic period was called Bali.

Note: This agreement was part of a bilateral treaty between the king and the people. The people would work the land and pay taxes to the king for his protection. The treaty means that the people submit to a sovereign power created by them, they have volunteered to pay the tax, the tax rate has been set by the people, the taxes are paid to the king as wages for his protection, and the king owes an answer to the people.