Final answer:
British tax policies in the colonies were considered oppressive, focused on raising revenue without proper representation, and were met with resistance particularly from the wealthy and merchants affected by luxury taxes and trade excises. The correct option is C.
Step-by-step explanation:
The British tax policies in the colonies would be best described as oppressive. This sentiment stems from the colonists' clear distinctions between internal and external taxation, and against taxes imposed by Parliament without actual representation. In addition to this distinction, colonists were particularly averse to taxes that were meant to raise revenue as opposed to regulating trade.
The Townshend Acts, for instance, were seen not as a means to regulate trade but as a way for Britain to exert greater control and raise revenue, ultimately reducing the power of the colonial governments. The Stamp Act and other taxes passed by Prime Minister Grenville were particularly onerous because they were meant to control the colonists and raise revenue for troops, rather than allowing the colonies to self-govern and tax themselves.
While colonists did not originally object to the principle of taxation, as long as it was fair and with proper representation, they did object to how the tax revenue was to be utilized, particularly when it involved raising revenues for Britain rather than improving the colonies themselves.
The perception of British tax policies being oppressive was amplified by the fact that many of the taxes were luxury taxes or excises on trade rather than direct taxes on personal income, affecting merchants and the wealthy disproportionately, who then had the means to organize resistance movements.