A History of Agriculture in India v2.c59.s2.4

v2.c59.s2.4

The urban working classes were given various monetary incentives by the rulers. Apart from the fact that they were not liable to pay jizya, there were tax remissions on some of their trades and products. ‘Firoz Shah in his Futuhat says that he had remitted taxes on the following: vegetables; brokerage; butchers; amusements; flowers, betel-leaves; octroi on grain and cereals; scribes; indigo; fish; cotton-carding; soap-making; sale of ropes; oil-making; parched grain; taxes from shopkeepers for the use of public lands; cloth-printing; gambling-houses; suits and petitions; police dues; qassabi (slaughtering animals); butter-making; grazing-tax; fines of various kinds; danganah (an impost in addition to the octroi); ground-rent of houses and shops; duri (forced requisition of cattle); roasted mince-meat; fruits; marriages; and brick-kilns.’ This list also indicates the variety of professions in the cities.