Chauth

Chauth (from Sanskrit meaning one-fourth) was a tax or tribute imposed, from early 18th century, by the Maratha Empire in India. It was nominally levied at 25% on revenue or produce, hence the name.

The right to assess and collect this tax was asserted first by Shivaji in the later 17th century, on spurious^{[citation needed]} grounds that his family were hereditary tax collectors in Maharashtra. The sardeshmukhi was an additional 10% levy on top of the chauth.^[1]

Notes

1. ^ S. A. A. Rizvi, p. 263 of A Cultural History of India (1975), edited by A. L. Basham