Equal Protection and Race........................................................................................................ 1839. Overview..............................................................................................................................
Sugar cane plantations in the colonies of the West Indies. The older Sugar and Molasses tax charged the customer a duty of 6 pence per gallon of molasses. The bribe to customs officials per gallon of smuggled molasses was 1.5p. The new Sugar Act lowered the duty to 3p per gallon.
The Sugar Act of 1764, also known as the American Revenue Act, was an act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain on the American colonies in order to raise revenue. The new Sugar Act replaced the Molasses Act of 1733, reducing by half the colonial tax on molasses, but stepping up enforcement of the tax.