26 lines
687 B
Markdown
26 lines
687 B
Markdown
<!-- generated: provider=openrouter model=arcee-ai/trinity-large-preview:free date=2026-02-19 source=book-5-chapter-02 -->
|
|
|
|
# Customs Duties
|
|
|
|
## Definition
|
|
|
|
Taxes imposed on goods imported from foreign countries, which historically
|
|
were intended to tax the profits of merchants but now serve primarily as a
|
|
source of revenue and sometimes as instruments of monopoly or trade regulation.
|
|
|
|
## Source Chapter
|
|
|
|
Book V, Chapter 2
|
|
|
|
## Context
|
|
|
|
Smith traces the history of customs duties from their origins as taxes on
|
|
merchant profits to their current role in revenue generation, and critiques
|
|
their use as instruments of monopoly rather than revenue.
|
|
|
|
## Economic Domain
|
|
|
|
General Theory
|
|
|
|
---
|