After the plague, under the rule of Edward III, the Statute of Laborers was enacted to control workers’ wages and working conditions— a measure that was not beneficial to them in any way. In 1377, John of Gaunt proposed a new tax — the poll tax — which Parliament approved, with the main aim of defraying the cost of the war against France. Unlike other countries, where only landowners were required to pay, ordinary laborers were also forced to contribute. The proposal was supported by the Church, which had been severely weakened economically due to the plague.