From the Wikipedia entry on Tax per head:
With the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, the Convention Parliament of 1660 instituted a poll tax to finance the disbanding of the New Model Army (pay arrears, etc.) (12 Charles II c.9). The poll tax was assessed according to “rank”, e.g. dukes paid £100, earls £60, knights £20, esquires £10. Eldest sons paid 2/3rds of their father’s rank, widows paid a third of their late husband’s rank. The members of the livery companies paid according to company’s rank (e.g. masters of first-tier guilds like the Mercers paid £10, whereas masters of fifth-tier guilds, like the Clerks, paid 5 shillings). Professionals also paid differing rates, e.g. physicians (£10), judges (£20), advocates (£5), attorneys (£3), and so on. Anyone with property (land, etc.) paid 40 shillings per £100 earned, anyone over the age of 16 and unmarried paid 12-pence and everyone else over 16 paid 6-pence.
(Fetched 27 July 2013.)
3 Annotations
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Bill • Link
Sam pays his "pollmoney" on December 10th and gets off light. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1660/12/10/
Bill • Link
For your Poll-Bill, I do thank you as much as if the Money were to come into my own Coffers; and wish with all my Heart, that it may amount to as great a Sum as you reckon upon. If the Work be well and orderly done, to which it is designed, I am sure I shall be the richer by it in the end; and upon my word, if I had wherewithal, I would myself help you, so much I desire the Business done. I pray very earnestly, as fast as Money comes in, discharge that great Burthen of the Navy, and disband the Army as fast as you can; and till you can disband the rest, make a Provision for their Support.
---Charles II. Speech to both Houses of Parliament, 29th of August, 1660.
San Diego Sarah • Link
John Evelyn's Diary – he and Mary Browne Evelyn live at Saye's Court, Deptford.
http://brittlebooks.library.illinois.edu/brittleb…
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6 October, 1660.
I paid the great tax of poll money, levied for disbanding the army, till now kept up.
I paid as an Esquire 10/., and one shilling for every servant in my house.