UK Citizenship Practice Test

During the Victorian Age, the Government promoted free trade policies primarily by abolishing a number of taxes on imported goods. This was a significant shift from earlier protectionist policies that favored domestic industries by imposing high tariffs on imports. By removing these taxes, the government made foreign goods cheaper and more accessible, encouraging competition and thus benefitting consumers with lower prices and greater variety.

The move toward free trade was influenced by economic theories advocating for market liberalization, which argued that free trade leads to increased efficiency and prosperity. Prominent figures like Richard Cobden and the Anti-Corn Law League were instrumental in pushing forward the agenda of free trade, leading to the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, which had imposed high tariffs on imported grain.

It is important to note that increasing tariffs, promoting state-controlled markets, and implementing trade restrictions would have been contrary to the principles of free trade. Instead, the government's actions during the Victorian period were focused on dismantling the barriers to international trade, laying the foundation for the liberal trade policies that characterized the economy during this time.