Can someone explain the term "taxation without representation"? Where it originated?

Answer 1

One of the oldest maxims of the English constitutional law is that taxation must be combined with representation (people pay taxes to the government, which buys them the right to elect their representatives to oversee how tax money is spent).

English colonies did not send their representatives to the Parliament in London and colonists thus were exempt from taxation (this situation still persists in overseas British territories, such as Cayman Islands or Falkland Islands). At some point, the British crown ran into financial difficulties and tried to institute taxes in colonies, which provoked widespread unrest among colonists, since taxation was not accompanied by representation (i.e., the right to elect members of Parliament). The rest, as they say, is history...

Answer 2

Taxation without representation came during the mid 1700's in the American Colonies. The colonist where having to pay taxes on several goods that were manufactured here or shipped here from England and the East India Shipping company.
The colonist were getting tired of being taxed for everything from TEA to lumber by the British Government to cover their cost of world domination that they were attempting at that time, and to cover cost associated with wars against France and Spain.
The American colonist thought they had a right to have representation in the British Parliament in order to fight for their rights. How ever, since the majority of the colonies were penal colonies, the British Government would not listen to them. Also, free thinkers such a Thomas Jefferson and all of his friends were causing problems, so the British Government thought that if they taxed the colonist highly, they would stop listening to these people.
Well, we all know our history, such as the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution, is the out come of the British Government's refusal to listen to a bunch of colonist.
Now, our government is almost as bad, huh?

Answer 3

The cost of victory against France in the Seven Years War almost depleted the British economy, so the British government rightly expected to tax her 56 overseas colonies to help defray the cost of the war.

Yet thirteen of Britain's American colonies balked at the idea of being taxed by their very own government. Taxation without representation over in England was the definition of 'tyranny' by the 13 New England colonies.

So in Boston and Philadelphia colonists held meetings to protest the taxes imposed by Great Britain and complained they had no representation in Parliment in regards to taxation.

Answer 4

It was a phrase Americans came up with complaining about the British government that were in control of them at the time, saying it was unfair that the Americans didn't have any representation in the government but had to pay taxes.

Answer 5

It was a catch phrase from the American Revolutionary War. It meant that the English government taxed the colonists, but the colonists were not allowed to elect and send representatives to the parliament that taxed them; therefore they had no input to the process and no power to affect it.

My personal opinion is that the English should have just let them elect representatives. The representatives would have been as powerless as ours are and eventually been seduced by their positions into becoming what they had condemned to get there.

Answer 6

originates from the time period directly prior/during american revolution, it refers to the fact that the american colonies were taxed by the british government, without representation in the political process. A major cause of the war.

Answer 7

The term Red Neck as relating to Americans living in rural areas comes from the fact that if you work outside all year round in all weathers the back of your neck eventually becomes a dark reddish brown colour with a 'leathery' look to the skin - you literally develop a 'red-neck'.

Answer 8

It meant that the colonists were made to pay taxes but had no say in the government (England) at that time. Almost everything grown or manufactured here was shipped to England then sold back to the colonists with heavy taxes placed on it. They were especially upset at what they deemed most valuable at that time, tobacco and tea.

Answer 9

Try the Declaration of Independence. One of the main reasons, we're not speaking with a British accent.

Answer 10

I think it originated inside Wal Mart.