Reich tax
The Reich taxes in postal and telegraph traffic existed between 1916 and 1919. They were introduced during the First World War by the "Law of June 21, 1916 regarding an extraordinary Reich tax to be levied with the postal and telegraph fees" .
The Reich tax made itself felt as the first general increase in postal charges since the existence of the German Reich , although the revenue from the tax did not constitute revenue for the Reich Postal Administration , but went directly to the Reich Treasury (offset in the budget of the General Finance Administration). The peculiar form of the Reichsabgabe as a fee surcharge was chosen with regard to the urgency of the need for money in order to avoid the time-consuming preliminary investigations for a fundamental tariff change at the three postal administrations involved ( Reichspost , Bavaria and Württemberg ) and also the internal fees from the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Kingdom of Württemberg to capture with. In addition, the surcharges could be canceled again without re-setting the fees. The imperial tax levied with the postage only affected the main types of mail that seemed most likely to tolerate a burden and promised the necessary income. Free shipments and most of the field post shipments were exempt. Due to the existing treaties, international mail could only be made subject to it if the states involved agreed to this. Imperial taxes were therefore only levied on foreign transactions in transactions with Austria , Hungary , Liechtenstein and Luxembourg . The tax was offset by normal postage stamps.
The Reich tax was also collected with the post offices in the Generalgouvernement Warsaw and in the post area of the Commander-in-Chief East ( Baltic countries and Lithuania ).
The Reich tax was changed on June 18, 1917 and increased by the "Law, concerning amendment of the law concerning an extraordinary Reich tax to be collected with the postage and telegraph fees, of July 26, 1918" ; it came to an end with the "Postal Fees Act of September 8, 1919" .
table
Price development
| Mailing | from July 1, 1906 | from August 1, 1916 | from October 1, 1918 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter ( local traffic ) | 5 pfennigs | 7½ pfennigs | 10 pfennigs |
| Postcard (local traffic) | 5 pfennigs | 7½ pfennigs | 7½ pfennigs |
| Letter up to 20 g (domestic) | 10 pfennigs | 15 pfennigs | 15 pfennigs |
| Postcard (domestic) | 5 pfennigs | 7½ pfennigs | 10 pfennigs |
| Printed matter (domestic) up to 50 g | 3 pfennigs | 3 pfennigs | 5 pfennigs |
| Letter up to 20 g (international) | 20 pfennigs | 20 pfennigs | 20 pfennigs |
| Postcard (international) | 10 pfennigs | 10 pfennigs | 10 pfennigs |
Postage stamps
For the corresponding postage stamps, see the postage stamp year 1905 of the Deutsche Reichspost , the stamps remained valid until 1915. All stamps issued between 1916 and 1918 come from the definitive Germania series which was designed by Paul Eduard Waldraff (see table below). The last stamps with the Reich tax appeared in the 1919 stamp year of the Deutsche Reichspost . All stamps remained valid until October 31, 1922, the edition is unknown.
On July 28, 1916 , the following three values appeared:
2 ½ pfennigs ;
Michel-No .: 98
7 ½ pfennigs;
Michel no .: 99
15 pfennigs;
Michel no .: 100
Postage stamps from 1917 issued by the Deutsche Reichspost
15 pfennigs;
Michel no .: 101
On October 1, 1918 , another stamp was issued.
2 pfennigs;
Michel-No .: 102
literature
- Archives for Post and Telegraphy ; Born in 1923; P. 154 ff.
- Manual dictionary of the postal system , 2nd edition; Imperial taxes in post and telegraph traffic ; P. 612
- Reichsgesetzblatt
- Michel Post Fee Handbook Germany , Schwaneberger Verlag, Munich, 2001 and 2004
- Jeroen van de Weide and Ton Welvaart, “First inflation period in the General Government of Warsaw and in occupied Russia; a few words about German inflation for Polish philatelists ", in: Inflation periods and currency reforms in Eastern Europe , Filatelist Contactgroep Oost Europe, 2007