BRITISH INDIA BURMA - 12 Annas king george vi ( 1938 - 1947 ) BOND PAPER - REVENUE COURT FEE - BEAUTIFUL WATERMARK
Stamped paper is an often-foolscap piece of paper
which bears an imprinted revenue stamp.
Stamped papers are not a form of postal
stationery as although they may contain writing,
they are not designed to be used to convey a
message.
The use of stamped paper in the American
colonies was so unpopular that it has been
credited with sowing the seeds of the American
Revolution.
Uses
The stamped paper has been widely used around
the world to collect taxes on documents requiring
stampings, such as leases, agreements, receipts,
court documents and many others. The papers are
bought blank apart from the pre-printed stamp and
are available from stationers, lawyers' offices,
post offices and courts according to local
regulations. The parties to the matter then write
their legal business on the paper and lodge it with
the court or other interested party. This is an
efficient way of collecting taxes and stamping
documents without the need to submit them to a
separate government stamp office.
History
Stamped paper is thought to have been a Spanish
invention, being introduced (or reinvented) in the
Netherlands in the 1620s. It has been used widely
in France (from 1651), Great Britain (from
1694),the United States, India and elsewhere.
The 1765 Stamp Act required all British colonies in
the New World to use stamped paper prepared in
London and embossed with a revenue stamp. The
ill-feeling created by this law has been credited
with sowing the seeds of the American Revolution.
Collecting
Collecting stamped paper is part of revenue
philately.
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