Question

Which statement best explains why taxation without representation was a major issue for the colonists?

Answer 1

Taxation without representation was a major issue for colonists in North America because they had no control over the taxes being passed by the British parliament. Before the French and Indian War, taxation was left up to colonial legislatures. These colonial legislatures were governments picked by the colonists.

The British parliament, on the other hand, had no representatives from the colonies. The colonists felt it was unfair that these members of parliament, many of whom never even went to North America, were able to pass taxes on the colonists.

Answer 2

Taxation without representation was a major issue for the colonists, because they were being unfairly taxed by the British without having a representative in the British Parliament to represent them and state that they were against this. It was also one of the driving forces of the American Revolution, as it was just one of the grievances the colonists were experiencing from the British.