Newspaper revenue stamps

From 1 March 1853 the tax on newspapers from abroad – unless they had been subscribed to through a post office within the German-Austrian Postal Union – could be paid with an adhesive stamp. Such papers arrived in wrappers or were brought in by travellers, and the post office stuck on and cancelled the 2-kreuzer stamp. The square stamp shows the double eagle and the words 'Kais. Kön. Zeitungs-Stämpel'; its green was mixed from the yellow and blue inks already used for the postage stamps. It was valid until 31 October 1858.

Sources: Austrian Philately: The Austrian Newspaper Tax 1789–1899, Wikimedia Commons: Newspaper stamps of Austria

With the currency reform of 1 November 1858 the tax on foreign newspapers from outside the Postal Union was rounded to 4 kreuzer in the new currency, and a brown 4-kreuzer stamp was issued. As early as 1 January 1859 the tax was halved, so 1- and 2-kreuzer stamps followed and the remaining 4-kreuzer stamps were used up as 2-kreuzer. The blue 1 kreuzer was made in a hurry from the 4-kreuzer clichés: the crossbar of the 4 was removed by hand on each of the 400 clichés, so the 1s differ slightly (Type I); it was later replaced by a stamp from a new matrix (Type II).

Sources: Austrian Philately: The Austrian Newspaper Tax 1789–1899, Wikimedia Commons: Newspaper stamps of Austria

In June 1877 the 1- and 2-kreuzer newspaper tax stamps were slightly redrawn, in the same colours – the most obvious changes are a larger central shield and a smaller crown. Austria had levied a tax on newspapers, with interruptions, since 1789, at first by a handstamp struck on the paper itself, and it was abolished only from 1 January 1900.

This site's catalogue gives 1878; A. Taylor (Austrian Philately) and the Stamp Encyclopedia give 1877.

Sources: Austrian Philately: The Austrian Newspaper Tax 1789–1899, Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues

A Finance Ministry decree of 25 May 1890 announced new newspaper tax stamps: the 1 and 2 kreuzer in a changed design, and a new 25 kreuzer. The brown 1 kr and green 2 kr have the value set in Mediäval-Antiqua type and the watermark ZEITUNGS-MARKEN; the larger carmine 25 kr was perforated and printed on paper watermarked STEMPEL-MARKEN, like the documentary revenue stamps. The newspaper tax was abolished from 1 January 1900, but leftover stamps were used up until October 1900 as postage dues on parcel cards, because low-value stamps were in short supply.

Sources: Austrian Philately: The Austrian Newspaper Tax 1789–1899, Stamp Encyclopedia: Austria – back of the book issues