1. a tax on salt or other goods, especially one formerly levied in France
Usage: historical; often capitalized when referring to the French salt tax

Examples

• The gabelle was one of the most unpopular taxes in pre-revolutionary France.
• Peasants resented the gabelle because it made salt, a necessity, expensive.
• The French government relied heavily on revenue from the gabelle.
• Smuggling salt to avoid the gabelle was common in rural areas.
• The abolition of the gabelle was celebrated as a victory for the common people.