Were there taxes in middle earth?

There is mention of the question of whether Rohan has been or will be paying tribute to Mordor (the old-fashioned version of taxes, usu. associated with imperalism). In medieval times taxes were generally collected from vassal lords by kings, who had originally collected from their peasants; this simplified the process at a central level because it massively reduced the number of taxpayers needing to be collected from (also causing the oppression of peasants). A similar system was probably used in Gondor (albeit with more equitable taxation), which explains why it was not discussed; it would have been just a fact of life, and everyone in Gondor would have had much more important things to worry about at the time

 

I think some bigger places like Minis Tirith had to pay taxes, but I wouldn't imagine they would be that much tax. Come to think of it, it might be the only place that pays taxes. I'd imagine the shire, rohan and everywhere else could cope fine.