The tribute could be defined as the payment that one person had to give to another as payment for their services or favors. Normally, the tribute was especially in societies where there was a marked social hierarchy that made the lowest sectors subordinate to the highest through this type of payment. The companies that were organized around the payment of the tribute are called tax companies.
The tribute can be understood in two basic senses. First of all, to pay tribute to someone or something is to demonstrate dedication and service, usually expressed through ceremonies and rituals. The other sense of the term is the one we define here, although it is directly related to the first. The tribute can then also be understood as the delivery of a certain amount of money, wealth or material goods to someone who is higher in the social scale and, therefore, deserves the respect and devotion of others.
The payment of tribute was essential in ancient communities, especially those of the Middle East and Egypt. In them, the rulers demanded such payment from their subjects because they considered themselves direct descendants of the gods and therefore deserved the permanent delivery of elements in their honor. The tribute also existed in the medieval period in which the feudal lords demanded a certain payment from the peasants (usually a part of the harvest obtained) in exchange for the use of the land and protection against possible attacks.
Today, the tribute is understood as a type of tax that all citizens must contribute to the State so that it redistributes them equitably or according to the needs of the moment. This tribute is compulsory in many societies while in others its payment is much more lax.
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