This collection presents articles and papers, dating from 1662 to 1959, tracing the development of public finance from the earliest tolls and customs duties levied on goods and land to more complex tax systems up to 1950. It also allows the founding fathers to describe the development of different schools or doctrines in their own words, and shows how economic analysis develops partly as a response to the need to gain a deeper insight into practical questions such as ""how progressive should a tax system be?""
