There is a Japaneese story od Judge Ooka.
Once a tax was levyed on houses , it was the Judges opinion that the houses of the wealthy were bigger and had more windows and doors so he levvyed the tax as a certain number of yen per door and a ceertain number of yen per window , so that the hovels of the poor would pay much less than the manses of the wealthy .
But there was a Merchant who in order to save himself from the tax boarded up all his doors but one and all of his windows but one , though his house was large he payed no more than the mite owed by a poor household.
The man was brought before Judge Ooka and he smugly stated that he was in obedience to the letter of the law .
Judge Ooka considered this case only a moment before he congradulated this man on his wisdom , praising his thrift and his cunning both Judge Ooka came down from the bench and shook the mans hand promiseing that with wisdom like that the man should be excused from the tax entirely.
The rich man was very pleased to accept Judge Ooka's proposal that he pay nothing for tax and said so in frount of the large assembled audience.
So be it , proclaimed the Judge , you shall owe no tax , and you shall have no door.
The Judge ordered a carpenter be sent to the house in question to seal the remaining door and window before the man should be allowed to return home.
After a few days of sleeping on the street and in the feilds the rich man realised that he was not popular with the townsfolk who were laughing at his predicament , he appealed to judge Ooka for an oppurtunity to pay his tax and open his door.