Final answer:
The Navigation Acts restricted New England merchants' ability to trade with countries outside the British Empire, limited their opportunities for foreign trade, and increased the price of non-English goods for the colonists.
Step-by-step explanation:
The primary reason that some New England merchants did not like the Navigation Acts was because these acts restricted their ability to trade with countries other than those within the British Empire. The acts mandated that certain goods could only be shipped to England or other colonies, limiting the merchants' opportunities for foreign trade and potentially reducing their profits.
Furthermore, the Navigation Acts required that goods bound for the colonies from outside the British Empire had to be shipped to England first to be taxed. This increased the price of non-English goods for the colonists, as they had to bear the added cost of English taxes passed on by foreign shippers.
Overall, the Navigation Acts constrained the merchants' freedom to engage in international trade and potentially limited their economic opportunities outside of the British Empire.