Which of the following describes the Sugar Act?
A. Smugglers supported the tax because it forced merchants to pay.
B. It removed the tax on molasses.
C. It called for more customs officials.
D. It enforced existing laws regarding taxes on molasses.
D. It enforced existing laws regarding taxes on molasses.
D. It enforced existing laws regarding taxes on molasses.
To determine which of the options describes the Sugar Act, we can examine each statement separately:
A. Smugglers supported the tax because it forced merchants to pay.
This statement does not accurately describe the Sugar Act. The Sugar Act, passed by the British Parliament in 1764, was primarily aimed at increasing the revenue collected from the colonies and cracking down on smuggling. It did not have a specific provision forcing merchants to pay the tax that would have been supported by smugglers.
B. It removed the tax on molasses.
This statement is incorrect. The Sugar Act, in fact, implemented a tax on molasses imported into the American colonies. The goal of this tax was to discourage smuggling and increase revenue for the British Crown.
C. It called for more customs officials.
This statement accurately describes one aspect of the Sugar Act. Along with imposing taxes on molasses, the Sugar Act also called for the establishment of stricter controls and increased surveillance over trade in the American colonies. This included hiring more customs officials to enforce the regulations.
D. It enforced existing laws regarding taxes on molasses.
This statement is partly correct. The Sugar Act did enforce existing laws, but it also introduced new taxes on molasses. The act aimed to reinforce and strengthen existing regulations, as well as expand upon them.
Considering the options presented, the correct description of the Sugar Act would be:
C. It called for more customs officials.