Opposite the Mahane Yehuda Market, in the Clal Center, hides a museum that puts its money where its mouth is.
The Tax Museum holds some intriguing items relating to tax collection in the Holy Land – in addition to attempts at tax evasion. Among the exhibits are banknotes, stamps and posters, obsolete taxes (“pleasure surcharge”), and confiscated items, such as a gambling roulette wheel and alcohol distillation apparatus. The customs log from Gaza shows its occupation in the Sinai Campaign, the Six-Day War, and in the Jaffa port log the scattering of Eichmann’s ashes at sea are entered. Between tax statements of government members, such as Yitzhak BenZvi and David Ben-Gurion, are some protest letters: poet Leah Goldberg says “I have no money at the moment.” The Minister of Trade and Industry complains about the foreclosure of his radio and Ben-Gurion notes that the word “husband” on the taxpayer’s form “is disrespectful of women.”
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Anyone with an itch to learn more about taxation will be able to satisfy it at this crazy fascinating museum. Started in 1964 by the Ministry of Finance, the original Agron Street location was vacated due to development projects, it has been at the current locale since 2006, updated with many computerized displays and attractively-designed exhibits. Researchers, students, and the curious will all learn about the citizen’s daily need to manage their taxes, and may view examples of taxation from ancient times, including biblical items. View items from the Ottoman Empire and British Mandate pre-state Israel and Jewish communities around the world.
There are English labels and the knowledgeable curator, with advance arrangements, is available to guide visitors through the exhibits.
The Tax Museum, 42 Agripas St (corner of Kiah St).
Open Mon & Wed, 10:00-15:00.
Entrance is free of charge, and museum visits should be coordinated in advance by phone with Mira Dror: 02-6257597 or 02-5317332