A Roman tax collector or contractor who paid the government a fixed sum and then collected taxes from the public; a publican.
From Latin 'firmarius,' derived from 'firma' (a fixed payment or tax contract). Singular form of the administrative term for Roman revenue collectors.
The 'firmarius' system created notorious corruption—an early example of how outsourcing government functions can incentivize abuse, since contractors had motivation to squeeze people beyond what the government asked for.
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