Taxation, of one sort or another, can be traced back to the beginnings of civilization, indeed, it might be argued that taxes are the price of civilization. This set reprints classic articles on taxation such as Adam Smith's Canons of Taxation, alongside more contemporary articles on modern developments. Taking into account the strong revisionist trend emergent in the study of economic issues, a new introduction by the editor puts the collected articles into context.

Taxation, of one sort or another, can be traced back to the beginnings of civilization, indeed, it might be argued that taxes are the price of civilization. This set reprints classic articles on taxation such as Adam Smith's Canons of Taxation, alongside more contemporary articles on modern developments. Taking into account the strong revisionist trend emergent in the study of economic issues, a new introduction by the editor puts the collected articles into context.