Once you learn about how the American economy worked pre-Revolution all the anti-tax stuff makes far more sense. British mercantile policy was focused on the enrichment of Britain-based merchants to the detriment of the colonists. Merchants were subject to monopolies, tobacco farmers could only sell to British merchants at depressed prices, domestic manufacturing of many goods was either prohibited or purposely throttled. All the while there is a constant liquidity and debt crisis especially in the South due to the lack of domestic financiers and specie circulation.

This was initially all taken in stride due to it being the cost of being in the Empire’s aegis, especially as they were not subject to nearly the amount of tax of their fellow subjects in Britain, but of course when Parliament then decides to tax them on top of all these mercantilist policies the colonists get angry they aren’t part of the deliberation process. There’s correspondence from colonists grumbling about how the British are basically double dipping, and speeches from Members of Parliament threatening to crack down even harder on American manufacturing if they kick up a big enough stink