A local tax levied by a parish to finance the relief or support of the poor.
〈史〉贫民救济税
Example sentencesExamples
In England, for example, the Elizabethan poor law (an accumulation of separate acts) envisaged a compulsory poor rate levied locally on those who could afford it, to help finance relief within that parish whenever required.
This provided for the collection and disbursement of a poor rate in every parish, thus devolving responsibility to a local level, and, incidentally, helping to integrate the parish into secular government.
Mair and Damania argue that Ricardo's treatment of taxes on houses should be incorporated with that of poor rates.
This subsidy was larger the greater the share of the poor rate paid by non-labor-hiring taxpayers.
Since the Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601 relief had been available for the poor within their parish, financed by the poor rate (a tax based on land and buildings), with ‘outdoor relief’ and the workhouse.