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# Monopoly of Tobacco Trade

# Monopoly of Tobacco Trade

## Definition

The exclusive control exercised by Great Britain over the tobacco trade from Maryland and Virginia colonies, which allowed British merchants to import approximately ninety-six thousand hogsheads annually while domestic consumption remained at only fourteen thousand hogsheads. This significant disparity between imports and consumption necessitated extensive exportation to dispose of the surplus.

## Source Chapter

Book IV, Chapter 4

## Context

The chapter uses this monopoly as an example of how drawbacks functioned to facilitate large-scale exportation when domestic consumption could not absorb the entire import volume. The whole duties were drawn back on tobacco exports within three years to enable the disposal of the substantial surplus, illustrating how drawback policies could be tailored to specific commodities with unique trade characteristics.

## Economic Domain

Exchange

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