Varlik Vergisi

Literally a "capital tax", the Varlık Vergisi was a one-off wealth tax imposed on wealthier citizens in Turkey on February 11, 1942. Although officially imposed on all wealthy Turkish citizens, those who suffered most severely were non-Muslim Jews, Armenians, and Greeks, who controlled much of the economy.

During World War II, Turkey remained neutral until February 1945. Officially the tax was designed to raise funds to defend the country in case of invasion, however it is argued that the main motivation was to reduce the minority populations' control over the economy.

Its effect upon the Greek minority was devastating: Although Greeks formed only 0.5% of the total population, they were forced to pay 20% of the tax, a total of 80 million Turkish liras.