Theses and Dissertations
Advisor
Osman, Julia
Committee Member
Hay, William
Committee Member
Hui, Alexandra
Committee Member
Lang, Andrew
Committee Member
Osman, Julia
Date of Degree
8-7-2025
Original embargo terms
Embargo 2 years
Document Type
Dissertation - Open Access
Major
History
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of History
Abstract
My dissertation titled Direct Taxation, the British Economy, and the Transformation of the British Fiscal State, 1783-1865 aims to highlight the important role that the income tax played in cultivating and maintaining the Victorian “laissez-faire” state. I argue that it did so by providing the funds necessary to end much of the protectionism left from the mercantilist state, stimulating demand, stabilizing currency and banking, and promoting domestic consumption. My argument relies on a close examination of how this strategic use of taxation stemmed from not just experience and results but from ideas posed by thinkers like Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, and David Ricardo.
Sponsorship (Optional)
Liberty Fund, Inc.
Recommended Citation
Burrow, John, "Direct taxation, the British economy, and the transformation of the British fiscal state, 1783-1865" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 6622.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6622
