The Townshend act was a tax law passed by the British government in 1767 to raise money from the colonies in America. It put taxes on all glass, lead, tea, paint and paper (even wallpaper) imported to the colonies from England. The taxes were raised primarily in order to defray the costs of defending the colonies during the French and Indian War, and to maintain a standing army in the colonies. The colonists considered it an unfair tax because, even thought they were British citizens, they had been singled out to pay for their own defense, when the defense of British territory should come from general funds.

The Townshend act was largely ineffective. The colonists boycotted the taxed items, burned some of the customs offices that were expected to collect the money, destroyed some of the taxed items in warehouses (including during the “Boston Tea Party”) and smuggled in goods to avoid the taxes. It was expected to raise about 40,000 pounds per year for the British government, but between the time that it was enacted and when most provisions of it were repealed in 1770, it only raised about 21,000 pounds, and probably cost more that that in damaged or destroyed goods, and increased troop levels to control the colonists.

Here’s the Wikipedia answer. You might need to work it out .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townshend_Acts

The detailed article on this web-page should ‘tickle you pink’ :

http://ahp.gatech.edu/townshend_act_1767.html

:-))