If questioned at all in the media most of the discourse about the inequities of poll tax concentrated on its economic injustices. Despite the Poll Tax however dug deeper into the largely ignored social and civil liberties implications of a colonial tax system whose earlier versions were considered unacceptable in the middle ages, leading to the Peasants Revolt of 1381 and were the original basis of the Pass Laws of apartheid South Africa.

This rarely seen video was actually produced during 1989 and early 1990. In order to get some good shots for an opening and credit sequence we decided to take 3 cameras to the Anti-Poll tax demo of March 31st 1990.

The subsequent “riot” and the disparity between eye witness and the police versions of events lead to Despite TV being commissioned by Channel 4 to make the Battle of Trafalgar.

Despite the Poll Tax did not really get completed and distributed until after the broadcast of Battle of Trafalgar in September 1990.

Please get in touch using our contact form if you would like to screen this film publicly.

DVDs can be purchased from the Spectacle shop.