ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Revenue stamps of the United States

Revenue stamps are like stickers that the government sells to people or businesses who need to show that they have paid taxes on certain things. For example, if you buy a pack of cigarettes, the government may require that a revenue stamp be put on the pack to show that the taxes for selling cigarettes have been paid.

These revenue stamps are usually small and have designs on them to show what they are for. The United States government used to sell revenue stamps for all sorts of things, like playing cards, boat licenses, and even guns!

Today, the use of revenue stamps is much less common in the United States, but they can still be found on certain things like alcohol and tobacco products. So, next time you see a little sticker on your pack of cigarettes or pint of liquor, you'll know it's a revenue stamp showing that the taxes have been paid to the government.