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Frontal view of portal of excise tax building; At the western end of the semi-circle, is the Clerks building, reserved for the administration of the Saltworks --the clerks, the foremen, the supervisors of work. At the eastern end is an identical building occupied by the Ferme Générale: la Gabelle, offices of the tax authorities. Any quantity of salt which left the Saltworks was under their control. Behind each building was a private air shaft and vegetable gardens. The gabelle tax was a mandatory payment on all people over the age of 8 years to buy an amount of salt per year at a price fixed by the government. This was very unpopular and is quoted as one of the reasons of the French revolution. Source: Institut Claude-Nicolas Ledoux [website]; http://www.salineroyale.com/ (accessed 1/5/2008)