The head tax

Ng, Winnie. “Early Chinese Worker Militancy in BC: Excavating Narratives of Resistance.” Road to Justice " Early Chinese Worker Militancy in BC: Excavating Narratives of Resistance, 21AD. http://www.roadtojustice.ca/news/early-chinese-worker-militancy-in-bc-excavating-narratives-of-resistance

This photo is presenting a man named Lee Don aged 22 immigrating to Canada more specfically Victoria B.C. In his arrival he would have had to pay a head tax of 500 dollars which would be 8404.67 dollars in todays money, all for being chinese and an immigrant. The head tax when orignally proposed was only 50 dollars, roughly 840 dollars today. The head tax was to stop mass immigration from the chinese. The head tax only exmpted six classes of people from paying, diplomats, merhants, clergymen, students, tourists and men coming to study science. The head tax was raised in 1901 to 100 dollars but then again in 1903 to 500. They knew though that they would get paid 10-20 times more in Canada though. Many immigrants had to borrow money to pay for it and would spend thier years in Canada working off their debt. Despite this extreme tax over 97,000 immigrants came to Canada, in the years of this taxation.

Trade, Ministry of International. “Federal Head Tax.” Province of British Columbia, January 19, 2017. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/multiculturalism-anti-racism/chinese-legacy-bc/history/discrimination/federal-head-tax

“Inflation Rate between 1918-2024: Canada Inflation Calculator.” $50 in 1918 → 2024 | Canada Inflation Calculator. https://www.officialdata.org/canada/inflation/1918?amount=50#:~:text=Value%20of%20%2450%20from%201918,cumulative%20price%20increase%20of%201%2C680.93%25