It was in the first quarter of 19th century when Napolean was in Egypt that he picked up a kashmiri shawl and presented it to his wife Josephine whence it became an article of fashion in rich circles of France
Popularity of kashmiri shawls tempted the rulers to earn revenue from this trade. Shawl trade was heavily taxed . Every shawl was taxed 24% of its value . Heavy duty was also imposed on wool . So much so that this Taxation brought this industry very very close to closure and the poor artisans had begun to starve . The government earned a revenue of 12 lacs from DAG E SHAWL or shawl tax alone .It was Maharaja Ranbir singh who remitted this Tax altogether enabling the Industry to revive and the artisans to survive . The Maharaja taxed goods imported from Punjab and Yarkand instead at a flat rate of 5 percent to make up for the loss of revenue.Heavy tax on shawls is also confirmed by Moorecroft who visited kashmir in 1824 A D .
( Autar Mota )
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