The sugar act was a tax raising act decided by the Parliament of Great Britain. The Molasses Act of 1733 was passed by Parliament largely at the insistence of large plantation owners in the British West Indies. molasses was not expensive. The British West Indies were Great Britain's most important trading partner. During the Seven Years War the British government increased the taxes to pay for the war. As the war ended John Stuart decided to maintain a standing army of 10,000 British regular soldiers in the colonies. Grenville supported his predecessor's policy. Grenville faced the problem of not only paying for these troops but servicing the national debt. Greenville did not expect the colonies to help in the tax retirement. The demand for
