Where do taxes and charges come from ?

Sometimes a tinpot emperor runs low on cash to spend on important things like redecorating a throne room or a new chariot or maybe something as simple as a course to form part of one's professional development.

Other times it might be necessary to raise funds because a revenue stream has been eroded or simply vanished...
Of course when this happens it is always due to either of two things
a) the revenue stream was taken over by a bigger more powerful emperor or
b) the tinpot emperor eliminated a low yield revenue stream in exchange for a perception of being a gracious and benevolent ruler.

In recent times when a revenue stream moves up the food chain a mysterious new revenue stream appears from nowhere and the blame for the new revenue stream is often blamed on a higher power.

A few examples of this include the proposals that all of a sudden citizens will be required to pay an annual fee (and sometimes an application fee) for the following privileges:
a) to park a truck on their own property
b) to have a cat on their own property
c) to have a swimming pool on their own peoperty.
In exchange for payment of fees citizens will recieve the following privileges:
a) permission to continue to park a truck on their own property
b) permission to continue to have a cat on their own property
c) permission to continue to have a swimming pool on their own peoperty.

As an added bonus to citizens the tinpot emperor will send minions around to make sure that nobody else:
a) parks a truck on their own property
b) has a cat on their own property
c) has a swimming pool on their own peoperty
without having paid the relevant fees but always remember the following text from the tinpot emperor's manifesto...
"Utilities charges: usually consumer-based. In other words, they are charges paid for services received such as water, sewerage and rubbish collection."

It would appear that to the tinpot emperor and minions, giving permission is providing a service.