Challenging tariff reform with a clear look at real trade and living costs.
This book argues that protectionist policies raise prices, misallocate resources, and limit opportunities, while free trade and sound fiscal policy promote national prosperity. It examines how tariffs shape food supplies, industry, and employment, and what this means for Britain and its imperial connections.
The work evaluates the claims of protectionists, compares experiences across Europe, and explains how revenue needs and political pressures have driven tariff policy. It uses historical data and case studies to ask whether protection truly supports workers, industry, and the broader economy, or simply shifts costs to consumers and the tax system.
- How tariffs influence food prices, wages, and cost of living in Britain and abroad
- What protection does to industry, shipping, and emigration
- Impacts on empire, trade with colonies, and international competition
- Arguments for free trade, imperial unity, and balanced public finance
Ideal for readers of economic history, policy debates, and anyone weighing the real costs and benefits of tariff reform.