Colonial Tax Policy in Plain Words
Letters From a Pennsylvania Farmer #7: Taxation is Equal to Slavery
The Pennsylvania Farmer made the case that the Townshend Act of 1767 was a corrupt scheme, inspired by George Grenville’s attempt to gain popularity in Great Britain and with King George III. He explained that it was the direct result of party Politics combined with a lack of concern for how “destructive it was to American freedom”. He explained that this alone was enough to prove that William Pitt was right when he stood up in Parliament refuting taxation without representation and said, “The Americans are the sons, not the bastards of England” and “The idea of a virtual representation of America in this house, is the most contemptible idea that ever entered into the head of man”.
Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies - Letter #7
Issue: Loyalty to the King and Love of Country are No Reason to Blindly Trust the Government
Dickinson:
Some are so filled with love for their country and loyalty to the Crown that they are willing to accept whatever tax is required out of the goodness of their heart. This carefree attitude may seem laudable but it is fraught with danger. This is because the leaders in Great Britain suffer from the malady of being human. This is why, even though authority should be respected, motives and their product should Be scrutinized because “their conduct, as rulers, may be influenced by human infirmities.”
There are two methods of collecting taxes. One is a direct tax charged to the person who owns a certain kind of property. This is a property tax. The other is to collect a certain amount of money for a commodity from the seller when it is sold. This is a sales tax. When someone pays a property tax, they know exactly what they are being charged. These kinds of taxes are hard to maintain because they are so obvious. When someone pays a sales tax it is more subtle because the seller pays the tax which is passed along to the consumer. This is the kind of tax that is used by “arbitrary and oppressive governments”.
Problem: Sales Taxes on Necessities are Especially Brutal
Dickinson:
The Townshend Act applied duties to paper and glass which were definitely not luxuries. Some will argue that there is no real need paper and glass. These same people will believe that it is also a luxury not to live in a cave. Not many will agree with this idea. Some also try to justify these taxes because they are seem so small. This is “a fatal error”. Even though there is little evidence to suggest a conspiracy of some kind, it is human nature that once a precedent has been set a government will exploit it to its fullest measure. “In short, if they have a right to levy a tax of one penny upon us, they have a right to levy a million upon us”
Solution: These Acts Must Be Regarded With Disgust By Free People
Dickinson:
If the right to taxation without representation is denied then whether one gets to keep his hard earned money or not is out of his control and this control is given to an arbitrary government. To paraphrase John Locke: What do we really own if someone else has the power to take it whenever they please.
The Pennsylvania Farmers Conclusion:
“Those who are taxed without their own consent, expressed by themselves or their representatives, are slaves. We are taxed without our own consent, expressed by ourselves or our representatives. We are therefore … SLAVES!”
Miserabile vulgus. (A miserable tribe.)
Click here to read about The Pennsylvania Farmer's 6th Letter
Source
Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies by John Dickinson, Esq.
