ABSTRACT
Taxation lay at the heart of the ‘Financial Revolution,’ the system of financing warfare via a permanent National Debt. Following an overview of the development of the British ‘fiscal-military-state’ throughout the eighteenth century, its expansion, to unprecedented proportions between 1793 and 1815, is explored. In addition to charting the increases in taxation that occurred throughout this period, the shifting of the burden of taxation is also examined. Despite the ostensible aim of avoiding excessive taxation of ‘the poor,’ this chapter demonstrates how, via a combination of price inflation, taxation on consumer goods and excessive amounts of (un-backed) paper-money issued from the Bank of England, the standard of living of the poorest members of society not only fell but (via a combination of these circumstances) witnessed a transfer of wealth up the social scale. Contemporary objections to the government’s policies are placed not only in this context but also in one that sees ‘Radical’ critics questioning the right of government to levy ever-greater amounts of taxation from citizens to whom they were offering little meaningful representation. In addition, the implementation of the Income Tax, viewed by contemporaries as an egregious imposition into the affairs of private citizens, is also explored.
