The Romans charged the native tribes with heavy taxes: a fixed "vectigal" or land-tax, the "tributum" and a certain quantity of cereals. The governors extorted as much as they could from the tribes. In 174 BC, when Publius Furius Philus was accused of paying very little for the cereals that Iberia was compelled to deliver to Rome, Cato defended the interests of the native tribes. The exploitation and extortion reached such an extreme degree in the provinces that Rome had to create a special tribunal and laws, like the Lex Calpurnia created in 149 BC. Also as part of the payment, a certain number of men were required to serve in the Roman army.