Daylight Robbery

The 250 year old hangover of tax-avoidance in Edinburgh. The Window Tax in Scotland dates from about 1750 and resulted in people having their windows filled in - less windows = less tax, or if less than 7 windows = no tax. Seen as a tax on "air and light", it was unpopular. Well, to be fair all tax is unpopular. Still, it seems reasonable compared to the 'poll tax' we all remember not-that-long-ago.

There's a lot of doubt as to whether the term "daylight robbery" actually stems from this time, but it's so good it has to be true, eh?

Nowadays we know all about the windows in cities across the UK because the tax office keeps such tediously accurate records. Anyway, it's characteristic of Edinburgh's New Town and I expect you'd need detailed planning permission to put a window back in! Bureaucracy is a wonderful, self-sustaining thing.