The Sugar Act had been passed by the Parliament of Great Britain on 5 April 1764. The Sugar Act increased the number of items that would be taxed when they were imported to the colonies, but it reduced the tax on molasses and sugar from 6 pence per gallon to 3 pence per gallon. Americans demured the Act primarily because of the economic impact, but for some, “no taxation without representation” became a rallying cry against Parliament’s right to tax the colonies.