The Mises Community
An online community for fans of Austrian economics and libertarianism, featuring forums, user blogs, and more.

Historical Tax Burdens in the United States

Latest post Wed, May 21 2008 1:08 PM by IDigSluts_ky. 5 replies.
  • Fri, May 16 2008 10:08 PM

    • Parsidius
    • Top 150 Contributor
    • Joined on Mon, Oct 8 2007
    • Posts 42
    • Points 705

    Historical Tax Burdens in the United States

    I've been looking for information concerning the historical tax burdens in the United States in terms of GDP or national income from as early as possible, but so far haven't found anything on Google or the like. Would anyone happen to have any online resources on this subject, by any chance?

    • Post Points: 50
  • Sat, May 17 2008 4:41 AM In reply to

    • Jon Irenicus
    • Top 10 Contributor
      Male
    • Joined on Fri, Apr 18 2008
    • Here, there and everywhere
    • Posts 789
    • Points 12,265

    Re: Historical Tax Burdens in the United States

    I think Hoppe gives some sources in Democracy - the God that Failed.

    -Jon

    Understand this as you die, ever pathetic, ever fools.

    Librarian: "I will not stand for this!!" Mandy: "There's an empty chair right there."

    Irenicus' Diaries.

    • Post Points: 5
  • Wed, May 21 2008 5:19 AM In reply to

    • Remnant
    • Top 100 Contributor
      Male
    • Joined on Tue, Mar 18 2008
    • Hampshire, England
    • Posts 72
    • Points 1,210

    Re: Historical Tax Burdens in the United States

     

    It would also be interesting to know what the tax burden was on pre revolutionary America.  And what was the tax rate on tea that prompted the Boston Tea Party? 

    • Post Points: 35
  • Wed, May 21 2008 6:00 AM In reply to

    Re: Historical Tax Burdens in the United States

    I thought the British Bottom* tea was subsidized and was cheaper than what the privateers could import which was a large part of the friction that lead to it getting tossed into river. The instigators were businessmen and importers after all...

    Now the Stamp Act was a direct tax that the colonies protested against and basically ignored.

    *Whatever it was actually called, the law that said that all trade through the colonies had to be in British ships to keep the other countries from engaging in direct trade with them.

    • Post Points: 5
  • Wed, May 21 2008 6:38 AM In reply to

    • Paul
    • Top 50 Contributor
      Male
    • Joined on Tue, Aug 7 2007
    • Posts 185
    • Points 2,930

    Re: Historical Tax Burdens in the United States

    Remnant:

    It would also be interesting to know what the tax burden was on pre revolutionary America.  And what was the tax rate on tea that prompted the Boston Tea Party? 

    You get wildly different answers depending where you look.  Common claims I've heard range from 1% to 10%, with 3% being about average.   Poking around a bit, Google answers says the tax wasn't a % but a fixed amount of 3d/lb; Wikipedia says there were 90,000 lbs of tea thrown overboard and that it was worth £10,000, so a pound of tea was worth 2/2⅔ (i.e., 26⅔ pence): assuming that's after tax, 3d/lb comes to about 12⅔% rate.  (Ah...it's clear that it was 3d per pound weight of tea, but perhaps someone thought it was 3d/£ and miscalculated that as 3% - would explain where that figure comes from; but the correct amount would be 1.25% at 240d/£ in predecimal currency)

    μὴ παραχώρει τοῖς κακος ἀλλ' εὐτολμώτερον ἀντιβάδιζε.

    • Post Points: 5
  • Wed, May 21 2008 1:08 PM In reply to

    Re: Historical Tax Burdens in the United States

    You may want to check out this paper, particularly table 11.2.  I do not think you are going to find studies of the historical tax burdens in the US as terms of GDP going back before 1929, but I could be wrong: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c5981.pdf

    Historically, and during colonial times, Americans paid little taxes since huge share of Federal Revenue came from tariffs. This paper gives a short synopsis: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005921.html

    • Post Points: 5
Page 1 of 1 (6 items) | RSS

Ludwig von Mises Institute | 518 West Magnolia Avenue | Auburn, Alabama 36832-4528

Phone: 334.321.2100 · Fax: 334.321.2119

contact@Mises.org | webmaster | AOL-IM MainMises

Mises.org sitemap