2016/07/07 by Peter Lloyd
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Australian History and Society #Historical Economic and Social Studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/aehr.12104
openalex publication_date 2016/07/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
This paper reviews the history of tariffs imposed by the six Australian colonies during the nineteenth century. In each of the colonies, we identify the starting dates for the first tariffs, first preferences, and other features, and the turning points in the levels of tariffs. We then construct a time series of the average tariff levels in the individual colonies and an average for all six colonies combined. The conclusion notes general features of the pattern of tariffs and how the main features of colonial tariffs, such as the favourable treatment of intermediate inputs, the complex differentiation of tariff rates within industries, and the protection implicit in the excise tax system all carried over to the Commonwealth Customs Tariff in the twentieth century.