The Tax Farming System of the Roman Empire

Ancien regime france ran on a tax farming system similar to that of ancient rome. This is where some corporation pays the government a cut rate lump sum for the right to go collect all the legal taxes, profit being made in the difference between what you bid and what you collected. The peasants were constantly harassed by less than scrupulous tax farmers who didn't care that this was the third time they around to collect the same tax. If you don't have a receipt, then i'm just going to take it again, and there's nothing you can do about it.