The States had the power to tax under the Articles of Confederation, but the central government didn't so I would say it's: Only the states could raise taxes, so the national government had a hard time paying its debts and expenses
One of the biggest problems was that the national government had no power to impose taxes. To avoid any perception of “taxation without representation,” the Articles of Confederation allowed only state governments to levy taxes. To pay for its expenses, the national government had to request money from the states.
