Tariff Reform League
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The Tariff Reform League (TRL) was a
The League wanted to see the British Empire transformed into a single trading bloc, to compete with Germany and the United States. It favoured imposing duties on imports—as did Germany and the US—and the channelling of the money raised from these duties into social reforms. High import duties, the League claimed, would make increasing other taxes unnecessary. However opponents claimed that protection would mean dearer food, especially bread.
Sir
In December 1903 Joseph Chamberlain announced the establishment of the Tariff Commission under the auspices of the Tariff Reform League. William Hewins the economist and first director of the London School of Economics from 1895 to 1903, was Secretary and Sir Robert Herbert, the first Premier of Queensland, Australia, was Chairman. The Commission consisted of 59 business men whose brief was to construct a "Scientific Tariff" which would achieve tariff reform objectives.[4]
Tariff Reform split the MPs of the Conservative Party and their government coalition allies in the
Shortly after the
-
A Tariff Reform League lapel pin
Sources
- ^ David A. Thackeray, "The Crisis of the Tariff Reform League and the Division of 'Radical Conservatism', c.1913–1922", History 91 (301), p. 61.
- ^ Bruce K. Murray, The People's Budget 1909/10: Lloyd George and Liberal Politics (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980), p. 27.
- ^ The Complete Peerage, Volume XI. St Catherine's Press. 1949. p. 2.
- ^ A J MARRISON. "The Tariff Commission, Agricultural Protection and Food Taxes, I9O3-13" (PDF). Bahs.org.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2017.