Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:27:05-2:27:38

Were the thirteen colonies lightly taxed?

A quoted sixpence-versus-25-shillings comparison receives cautious agreement about lower colonial revenue per person, with uncertainty about the figures and the average taxpayer.

American Revolutionary WarBritish EmpireColonial TaxationThirteen ColoniesTonnage And Poundage
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Question

Were people in the thirteen colonies taxed far less than people in England?

Short answer

Probably, if the comparison is tax revenue collected per person. An average taxpayer is hard to define, but England's many duties make the broad disparity plausible.

Notes

A viewer quotes a book's comparison of sixpence per year for an American colonist and 25 shillings for an Englishman. The direction of that disparity is treated as plausible, while the definition of an average person remains problematic. England drew income from tonnage, poundage, and other charges. The cautious agreement concerns tax revenue generated per person, without independently establishing the two quoted figures.