The Rise and Fall of the Briti essays

The Rise and Fall of the Briti essays Britain began to become an empire as early as the seventeenth century, and it lasted until the mid nineteenth century. The Empire survived many obstacles and rulers. Some rulers however strengthened the Empire and Britain in general. During the seventeenth century Britain fought several very successful wars against the Dutch, French and Spanish. As Kelley Ross claims in her article The Worlds Greatest Empires, these campaigns left Britain with much of the eastern coast of North America, the St. Lawrence Basin in Canada, parts of Africa for slave acquisition, areas of the Caribbean and political interests in India (24). At this point the British Empire had begun formation. The Empire lasted through many rulers, gathering more colonies and power with the passage of time. However, no ruler controlled and caused as much growth in the vast empire as Queen Victoria. The British Empire was formed with mercantilist ideas, headed by Cromwell and the Stuarts; however the empire was at its peak during the reign of Queen Victoria. But because of twentieth century superpowers like Germany and the USSR, as well as uprisings in attempts at independence by many of Britains colonies, the Empire fell in the mid twentieth century. The growth of the British Empire was due in large part to the ongoing competition for resources and markets which existed over a period of centuries between England and her Continental rivals, Spain, France, and Holland (Sears 23). Englands first empire was a mercantilist one, led by both Cromwell and the Stuarts. They outlined ideas for the further colonization of Europe, and their mercantilist views held true until the late eighteenth century. As R.A Huttenback, author of The British Imperial Experience writes, the first British Empire came to an end after the American Revolution. However the purpose and policies of the Empire stayed the same (26-27). They were to gain ...

The Economics of Sales Taxes

The Economics of Sales Taxes The Glossary of Economics Terms defines a sales tax as a tax levied on the sale of a good or service, which is usually proportional to the price of the good or service sold. The Two Types of Sales Taxes Sales taxes come in two varieties. The first is a consumption tax or retail sales tax which is a straight percentage tax placed on the sale of a good. These are the traditional type of sales tax.The second type of sales tax is a value added tax. On a value-added tax (VAT), the net tax amount is the difference between the input costs and the sales price. If a retailer pays $30 for a good from a wholesaler and charges the customer $40, then the net tax is only placed on the $10 difference. VATs are used in Canada (GST), Australia (GST) and all member countries of the European Union (EU VAT). Sales Tax - What Advantages Do Sales Taxes Have? The biggest advantage to sales taxes are how economically efficient they are in collecting a single dollar of revenue for the government - that is, they have the smallest negative impact on the economy per dollar collected. Sales Tax - Evidence of Advantages In an article about taxation in Canada a 2002 Fraser Institute study was cited on the marginal efficiency cost of various taxes in Canada. They found that per dollar collected, corporate income taxes did $1.55 in damage to the economy. Income taxes were somewhat more efficient in only doing $0.56 worth of damage per dollar collected. Sales taxes, however, came out on top with only $0.17 in economic damage per dollar collected. Sales Taxes - What Disadvantages Does a Sales Tax Have? The biggest drawback to sales taxes, in the eyes of many, are that they are a regressive tax - A tax on income in which the proportion of tax paid relative to income decreases as income increases. The regressivity  problem can be overcome, if desired, through the use of rebate cheques and tax exemptions on necessities. The Canadian GST uses both of these mechanisms to reduce the regressivity tax. The FairTax Sales Tax Proposal Due to the advantages inherent in using sales taxes, it is not surprising that some believe that the United States should base their entire tax system on sales taxes rather than income taxes. The FairTax, if implemented would replace most U.S. taxes with a national sales tax at a 23-percent tax inclusive (equivalent to a 30-percent tax exclusive) rate. Families would also be issued prebate cheques as to eliminate the inherent regressivity of a sales tax system.