Tea was a prestige and comfort symbol. The British felt this would be a smart method to force the colonies to pay the tea tax while yet paying less for tea overall. This British Parliament scheme made financial sense. However, it caused political trouble for Britain as there were many groups within the country who did not want tea taxed away from home. These groups included Americans who believed that they should not be forced to buy tea from Britain. Additionally, the British government had imposed other taxes on American products which created a lot of anger among colonists. For example, they hated being charged higher prices for some imported goods than others. Also, they felt that these taxes violated their right to trade freely with England and the rest of Europe. Finally, tea was one of the only items brought to America by Europeans. Since America wanted to show itself as a separate nation, giving up tea was a good way to prove that they were no longer part of Britain's empire.