Responsa for Shabbat 61:7
שוב מעשה בנכרי אחד שהיה עובר אחורי בית המדרש ושמע קול סופר שהיה אומר (שמות כח, ד) ואלה הבגדים אשר יעשו חושן ואפוד אמר הללו למי אמרו לו לכהן גדול אמר אותו נכרי בעצמו אלך ואתגייר בשביל שישימוני כהן גדול בא לפני שמאי אמר ליה גיירני על מנת שתשימני כהן גדול דחפו באמת הבנין שבידו בא לפני הלל גייריה
On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen came before Shammai and said to him, 'Make me a proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.' Thereupon he repulsed him with the builder's cubit which was in his hand.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi: a cubit to measure off the amount of work done by a builder. ');"><sup>12</sup></span> When he went before Hillel, he said to him, 'What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbour:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The golden Rule; cf. Lev. XIX, 18: but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.- V. Hertz, Leviticus, pp. 22 or 223, and cf. R. T. Herford, Talmud and Apocrypha, p. 148. ');"><sup>13</sup></span>
Teshuvot Maharam
A. No; a change in an accepted custom, which will benefit some members of the community at the expense of others, can be introduced only by unanimous consent of the members.
R. Meir adds that throughout the kingdom, no taxes on real property are levied by the Jewish communities; that those whose wealth consisted mostly of money, attempted several times to introduce a change and tax real property; and that he, R. Meir, did not permit the enforcement of the change, for the reason quoted above.
SOURCES: Pr. 941; Mord. B. B. 481; Agudah B. B. 20. Cf. Weil, Responsa 84; Menahem of Merseburg, Nimmukim (44); Moses Minz, Responsa 63a; Terumat Hadeshen 342.