Serious Considerations on the Several High Duties Which the Nation in General: (As Well as It's Trade in Particular) Labours Under: With a Proposal . Any Search, and Raising All the Publick Su

Serious Considerations On The Several High Duties Which the Nation In General: (As Well As It's Trade In Particular) Labours Under: With A Proposal For Preventing the Running Of Goods, Discharging the Trader From Any Search, And Raising All The Publick Supplies, By One Single Tax. By Sir Matthew Decker. This tract argues that existing duties and excises burden commerce and fuel smuggling, and it proposes a radical scheme to replace varied taxes with a single annual duty on houses, plus targeted levies on consumers and public establishments, aiming to finance government expenditures and reduce illicit practices. Decker analyzes the Tea running problem, suggests repealing the Tea excise and substituting an annual per-household tax, scaled by dwelling value and occupancy, and outlines a broader plan for consolidating taxes to simplify enforcement, reduce corruption, and encourage trade. He argues that such a reform would benefit the East India Company, merchants, consumers, and the public debt, and would create a more efficient, cheaper system of taxation, while addressing objections about fairness and governance. The proposal is presented as a careful economic policy argument for reform from a pro-trade perspective.