I. Purpose of the lex. This Lex Vedia de assiduis et capite censis is hereby enacted to define the classifications of taxpayers and non-taxpayers, and put in place special conditions on those who are unable or unwilling to support the financial welfare of the Republic through payment of those taxes which may be enacted by the Senate.

II. Definition of assidui.

A. Citizens who pay taxes in such amount and in such manner as may be defined by the current legislation shall be considered assidui. No special conditions shall be placed on assidui in regards to their placement in centuries and tribes or their ability to run for or hold office.

B. Those appointed as Vestal virgins by the Collegium Pontificum shall be exempt from paying the annual tax and shall retain their status as assidui so long as they remain Vestal virgins. No special conditions shall be placed on Vestal virgins with regard to their placement in centuries and tribes or upon their ability to run for or hold office.

III. Definition of capite censi. Citizens who do not pay taxes in such amount and in such manner as may be defined by the Senate shall be considered capite censi. The following special conditions shall apply to capite censi:

A. Placement in centuries. The Censors shall place all capite censi in the last century in Class V as defined in the Lex Vedia Centuriata and those leges which may amend it, and no other Citizens shall be enrolled therein.

B. Placement in tribes. The Censors shall place all capite censi in the urban tribes as defined in the lex Vedia tributorum and those leges which may amend it.

C. Public office. No member of the capite censi may run for or hold office as one of the ordinarii (including the apparitores), nor be appointed to or hold office as provincial governor, nor be titled as Senator or members of the Collegium Pontificium or priest or Sacerdos. Members of the capite censi may hold provincial or local offices at the discretion of the governor of the province in question.

D. Default of payment while in office.

1. All persons obtaining citizenship after this lex takes effect will have Capiti Censi status until and unless payment is made.

2. Any citizen of the Capiti Censi may become Assidui by paying the appropriate amount, as defined by Senatus Consultum. If payment is made during a contio or election, the change in status will take place after the election concludes.

3. Upon receipt of tax payment in full, the applicant is considered to assume the rights and privileges of Assidui as defined by the Lex Vedia de Assidui et Capiti Censi and the applicant will be allocated to a rural tribe and appropriate century allocation.

IV. Members of the Senate and Ordinarii sitting magistrates of the ordinarii and Senatores who become members of the Capite Censi due to non-payment of taxes may be removed from office by the Censors. Members of the Collegium Pontificum and priests and sacerdotes who become members of the Capite Censi due to non-payment of taxes may be removed from office by the Pontifex Maximus.

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Previous versions of the lex Vedia de assiduis et capite censis

Version 3 (Current): The lex Apula de assiduis et capite censis, approved on the prid. Kal. Ian. ‡ Fr. Apulo C. Laenate cos. ‡ MMDCCLVIII a.u.c., became a holistic amendment to this lex (although not explicit in its text) due to many original similarities. Parts of article II,

II. Citizens who pay taxes in such amount and in such manner as may be defined by the current legislation shall be considered assidui.

III.B. The Censors shall place all capite censi in the urban tribes as defined in the lex Vedia tributorum and those leges which may amend it.

III.C. No member of the capite censi may run for or hold office as one of the ordinarii (including the apparitores), nor be appointed to or hold office as provincial governor, nor be titled as Senator or members of the Collegium Pontificium or priest or Sacerdos.

IV. Members of the Senate and Ordinarii sitting magistrates of the ordinarii and Senatores who become members of the Capite Censi due to non-payment of taxes may be removed from office by the Censors. Members of the Collegium Pontificum and priests and sacerdotes who become members of the Capite Censi due to non-payment of taxes may be removed from office by the Pontifex Maximus.

[Note 1] The lex Vedia tributorum referenced here is referring to the now correctly titled lex Vedia tributa.

Version 2: The lex Cornelia Octavia de assiduis et capite censis, approved on the a.d. IX Kal. Ian. ‡ M. Octavio L. Sulla (II) cos. ‡ MMDCCLV a.u.c., added three points to section III of the lex.

D.1 All persons obtaining citizenship after this lex takes effect will have Capiti Censi status until and unless payment is made.

D.2 Any citizen of the Capiti Censi may become Assidui by paying the appropriate amount, as defined by Senatus Consultum. If payment is made during a contio or election, the change in status will take place after the election concludes.

D.3 Upon receipt of tax payment in full, the applicant is considered to assume the rights and privileges of Assidui as defined by the Lex Vedia de Assidui et Capiti Censi and the applicant will be allocated to a rural tribe and appropriate century allocation.

Version 1 (Original): This is the original lex approved by the Comitia Populi Tributa on the a.d. XIII Kal. Iun. ‡ Fl. Vedio (II) M. Cassio (II) cos. ‡ MMDCCLIV a.u.c..

I. This Lex Vedia de assiduis et capite censis is hereby enacted to define the classifications of taxpayers and non-taxpayers, and put in place special conditions on those who are unable or unwilling to support the financial welfare of the Republic through payment of those taxes which may be enacted by the Senate.

II. Citizens who pay taxes in such amount and in such manner as may be defined by the Senate shall be considered assidui. No special conditions shall be placed on assidui in regards to their placement in centuries and tribes or their ability to run for or hold office.

III. Citizens who do not pay taxes in such amount and in such manner as may be defined by the Senate shall be considered capite censi. The following special conditions shall apply to capite censi:

A. The Censors shall place all capite censi in the last century in Class V as defined in the Lex Vedia Centuriata and those leges which may amend it, and no other Citizens shall be enrolled therein.

B. The Censors shall place all capite censi in the urban tribes as defined in the Lex Vedia Tributaria and those leges which may amend it.

C. No member of the capite censi may run for or hold office as one of the ordinarii (including the apparitores), nor be appointed to or hold office as provincial governor. Members of the capite censi may hold provincial or local offices at the discretion of the governor of the province in question.

Passed by Comitia Populi Tributa, Yes-21; No-14

20 May MMDCCLIV

Praetorian commentary on the textual history of the law

Comment I. (P. Memmius Albucius) Lex Vedia de assiduis et capite censis defines the two major categories of citizens: the ones who pay their annual tax to Nova Roma budget (even the law below does not set the principle of the annuality), and the others. The first ones are called assidui (sing. assiduus, fem. assidua), and the second ones capite censi (sing. capite census, fem. capite censa). This last expression meaning "recorded as a head (body, person)", the word capite does not vary, for it means "as a head".

The first modification of lex Vedia has been brought by a lex Cornelia which has specified how a cives could have her/his status change from capite census/-a to assiduus/-a.

The second train of modifications has been brought by lex Apula, which has first put in the field of the "legislation" what was before in the Senate's competency: the amount and the proceedings to pay the taxes. Second, lex Apula has authorized the possible removal from office and seat of senators and ordinarii, on one hand, and on the other of "members of the Collegium Pontificum, priests and sacerdotes", who would, having not paid their tax(-es), would become de facto capite censi. The difference between both sub-categories concerns the authority who may takes the removal decision: one of both censors for the first one, the pontifex maximus for the second one.

The last modification of lex Vedia has been brought indirectly via an amendment to lex Apula: Vedia-Cornelia-Apula de assiduis etc. has been added in May 2762 auc a new § II.B, which grants the status of assiduae to every Vestal virgins and exempts them from tax paying.