Norman was Director of the Bank of England 1821-72, and a strong proponent of the utilitarian program. The year he began his new job, he also began this essay on how to increase human happiness
by a wholesale reform of the revenue system, founded on a comprehensive property tax. He accomplished much during half century in office, but never completed the essay. O'Brien (emeritus
economics, U. of Durham) has collated and edited the various manuscripts and corrections into a coherent narrative designed to represent Norman's final thoughts on the matter, to be
comprehensible to modern readers with an interest in economics or politics but not necessarily much technical background in the fields, and to contribute to ongoing debates about revenue.
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