The article examines rural everyday life in Dagestan in the first decade of Soviet power. On the basis of archival documents, the influence of the NEP on the daily life of the rural population, which turned out to be burdensome for them, is revealed. Despite the class approach, the new tax campaign led to a deterioration in the financial situation of the highlander, since it was carried out without taking into account the specifics of the republic’s agriculture. An important factor for improving the financial situation of the population was the effective development of agricultural production, for which it was necessary to implement a whole range of measures: land reclamation, provision of agricultural machinery. In this regard, the state’s assistance, the creation of agricultural partnerships, and the provision of loans were tangible. The author comes to the conclusion that the new economic policy of the state for the Dagestan aul had a twofold character. Although it was intended to develop the production initiative of a small producer, in the end, the tax system was created.