Found in Hoppe's Democracy: The God that Failed (page 19, fn 20):
"All in all, one must admit that the portion of income drawn by the public sector most certainly increased from the eleventh century onward all over Europe, but it is difficult to imagine that, apart from particular times and places, the public power ever managed to draw more than 5 to 8 percent of national income." That's a quote from Carlo Cipolla's Before the Industrial Revolution: European Society and Economy, 1000-1700 (1980).
Five to eight percent? That's stunning stuff. Today, taxes draw around 50%. I think I'd rather live under a monarchy. I couldn't vote in largely-meaningless elections, but at least I'd get to keep a lot more of my money. Maybe I couldn't make wisecracks about the ruler's clothing, but I'd have a lot more money with which to buy my own clothing.
