Answer: It was one of the first harsh taxations the British levied against the colonists.
Explanation: The Sugar Act put major restrictions on how the colonies could do business, and jumped prices from sugar and sugar related products. It also prohibited the importation of foreign made rum. This was one of the first times that the British tried to control the economy of the colonies, and was the first revenue-raising measure they'd applied. The colonies openly protested against it because they felt as though the British shouldn't have had the capability to gain revenue from the colonies while the colonists had no form of representation in the British Parliament.