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Simple English definitions for legal terms
four-folding
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A quick definition of four-folding:
Term: Four-Folding
Definition: Four-folding is a punishment for people who give a false list of their taxable property. In some places, people are required by law to give a list of their taxable property to Listers. If someone gives a false list, their property's taxable value is quadrupled, which means it is multiplied by four. This is done to penalize the person for lying about the true value of their property.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Four-folding is a historical practice where the taxable value of a property is quadrupled as a penalty for falsely underreporting its true value. For instance, in Connecticut, if a person gave a false list of their taxable property, the property's value would be increased four times on the list as punishment.
Example: In the early 19th century, Timothy Dwight wrote about the practice of four-folding in his book, Travels in New-England and New-York. He explained that in Connecticut, each town had Listers who received a list of taxable property from each inhabitant. If someone gave a false list, they would be punished by having the falsified property's value increased four-fold on the list.
Explanation: The example illustrates how four-folding was used as a penalty for those who provided false information about their taxable property. By quadrupling the property's value, the person would have to pay more taxes, which served as a deterrent for dishonesty. This practice was used to ensure that everyone paid their fair share of taxes and to discourage tax evasion.