Paul John asserts on page 108 of "A History of the American People" that "the American mainland colonies were the least taxed territories on earth" He gives no evidence and no citations.
I don't see how this can be even remotely true. I know taxes were low compared to England but how could he possibly make a claim like this. He goes on to say that it was probably the least taxed in history and close to a no-tax society. I simply can't believe this is true. Can someone point me towards some actual evidence or an explanation of this claim.
I have taught 8th grade Social Studies for the past 8 years and have a B.A. in History. Maybe compared to other places like India and major territories that England controlled, yes. But I cannot imagine they were the least taxed place on earth. I have never seen evidence of this or even heard a claim. Comparatively to British citizens, colonists did pay lower taxes, something like 10 to 1. Certain colonies paid less depending on the type of charter. Pennsylvania was the lowest I believe because it was a proprietary colony. A lot is made of taxes when teaching about the Revolution, but ultimately it was the British control over the Colonies that upset them. The whole "no taxation without representation" is really more about the representation than the taxation. Ive found several websites that go over the tax structure of the colonies but this seems to be the best. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/07/03/tea_taxes_and_the_revolution Saying they were the least taxed territories seems like a statement that is a bit inflammatory without evidence or context to back it up.