14 Figures Who Renamed to Avoid Taxes
Historically, individuals have gone to great measures to escape contributing their due amount to the government. Some historical personalities adopted a more straightforward approach—just altering their identities, whereas modern tax evasion plans sometimes include offshore accounts and sophisticated legal frameworks.
These name-changers were deliberately attempting to flee the taxman’s grasp, not only looking for new beginnings. Here are 14 historical people who changed their names, especially to avoid tax responsibilities.
Marcus Licinius Crassus
Ancient Rome’s wealthiest citizen was also its most creative tax evader. Crassus would purchase buildings in the names of others when Rome was burned by fires, buying them for pennies on the dollar.
He established multiple identities to move his vast fortunes between them, and taxmen were left scratching their heads over whose money was whose. This enabled him to be Rome’s richest man and pay the empire he worked for minimal taxes.
Catherine the Great
Before becoming Russia’s longest-ruling female leader, the German-born princess created alternative identities to shield her fortune from imperial taxation. She established at least three separate names for her financial dealings, claiming each belonged to distant relatives. Her elaborate scheme worked remarkably well, allowing her to maintain wealth separate from the Russian treasury that even her closest advisors didn’t know existed.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Benjamin Franklin
The Founding Fathers of America were renowned for their tax evasion strategies in addition to their innovations and diplomacy. For his Poor Richard’s Almanack, Franklin used the pseudonym Richard Saunders, not only for literary reasons but also to divert publication revenue through a persona that was exempt from the same tax scrutiny. While Franklin’s other persona amassed a fortune mostly untaxed, the colonial tax collectors concentrated on his primary companies.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Throughout his ascent to power, the French emperor made strategic use of name variations. He registered business holdings and real estate under slightly different names prior to becoming emperor, which made it challenging for tax authorities to link his expanding empire of assets. He was able to borrow multiple identities when buying land or transferring money across borders because of his Corsican family ties.
Oscar Wilde
Not for creative reasons but to hide himself from tax authorities, the renowned Irish author legally changed his identity twice during financial hardship. Wilde moved ownership of his literary works among numerous identities, therefore generating uncertainty about income sources and royalty payments. During his most active writing years, this smart paper shuffle put him one step ahead of British authorities.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Leonardo da Vinci
Throughout Italy, the Renaissance genius worked under a variety of professional aliases. Da Vinci would accept commissions in other city-states under different names when Florence levied new levies on artists. In order to circumvent the increasingly complex taxation systems of Italian city-states, he occasionally had his workshop assistants sign his creations, creating distinct revenue channels.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The musical prodigy published some compositions under pseudonyms not just for artistic experimentation but to avoid the Habsburg Empire’s entertainment taxes. Mozart created a fictional composer identity that supposedly lived in a region with more favorable tax laws. He directed payments for certain performances to this alternate persona, effectively splitting his taxable income across multiple entities.
Queen Elizabeth I
England’s powerful monarch secretly maintained alternative identities for her personal trading ventures. While the crown collected taxes from others, Elizabeth established at least two merchant identities through trusted intermediaries to engage in the lucrative East India trade. These merchant aliases allowed her to avoid the very import duties her government imposed on everyone else.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Thomas Jefferson
The American president and champion of democracy maintained several name variations for his business dealings. Jefferson registered some of his plantations and business ventures under modified versions of his name or completely separate identities. This practice allowed him to segregate his finances from his more publicly scrutinized assets, minimizing his tax burden during times of significant government levies.
Marie Antoinette
The French queen established elaborate alternative identities for her personal shopping and property holdings. She registered her countryside retreats under invented names, claiming they belonged to loyal subjects rather than the royal family. This clever arrangement allowed her to avoid royal property taxes while maintaining access to numerous luxurious estates throughout France.
Ludwig van Beethoven
The German composer published some works under pseudonyms, partly to test audience reaction but primarily to avoid Austrian taxation on artistic works. Beethoven maintained separate financial arrangements for compositions under his alternate identities, allowing him to receive payments through channels less visible to tax authorities. His hearing loss provided cover for this scheme, as he could claim miscommunication when questioned about these other composers.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Catherine de Medici
The powerful Italian-born French queen regent created multiple merchant identities to protect her fortune from royal taxation. She established at least three separate names for her extensive property holdings throughout France and Italy. These alternate identities allowed her to move wealth between countries without the normal tariffs and taxes applied to cross-border transactions.
Alexander Hamilton
America’s first Treasury Secretary, ironically, maintained separate identities for some of his private business ventures. While publicly advocating for a robust federal taxation system, Hamilton quietly registered some investments under alternative names. This arrangement helped him maintain financial privacy while shielding portions of his income from the very tax system he helped design.
William Shakespeare
The famous playwright may have operated under multiple identities not just for creative purposes but also for financial advantage. Historical records suggest Shakespeare maintained separate personas for his theater investments versus his writing income. This division allowed him to minimize tax exposure during a time when England was increasingly taxing entertainment venues but had less oversight of literary income.
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
The Shadow Economy Then and Now
From ancient Rome to Elizabethan England, the cat-and-mouse game between wealthy individuals and tax authorities has evolved continually. Today’s digital fingerprints make identity-based tax dodging much harder than in previous centuries. Modern tax authorities have sophisticated tools that historical figures never imagined possible, yet the creative spirit of tax avoidance remains remarkably consistent throughout human history.
More from Go2Tutors!
- 18 Unexpectedly Valuable Collectibles You Might Have Lying Around
- 15 Things Every Teenager in the ’70s Did That Teens Today Wouldn’t Understand
- 15 Strange Things People Have Tried to Ban (And Failed)
- 15 Inventions That Were Immediately Banned After Being Created
- 20 Actors Who Were Almost Cast in Iconic Roles
Like Go2Tutors’s content? Follow us on MSN.
