How did the English attempt to recoup their losses from the French and Indian War?

The English doubled their debt as a result of the French and Indian War. They did not feel that the colonists were sharing the burden of management and protection of the colonies. England decided that it was time for the colonists to ante up. Laws were in place for decades that would have guaranteed that the colonists were paying their fair share of taxes. The problem was, that the colonists simply ignored them. They smuggled...

The English doubled their debt as a result of the French and Indian War. They did not feel that the colonists were sharing the burden of management and protection of the colonies. England decided that it was time for the colonists to ante up. Laws were in place for decades that would have guaranteed that the colonists were paying their fair share of taxes. The problem was, that the colonists simply ignored them. They smuggled goods to the colonies to avoid taxation as an example.  The colonists even traded with France when England was involved in the war with them.  

The British were too preoccupied with war to worry about enforcement of their laws for the colonies. The British decided to start enforcing the laws in an effort to pay off some of their debt. Parliament created the Sugar Act and Stamp Act in an attempt to raise money. They decided that they would be more active in enforcing the laws and kept troops in the colonies. These attempts to recoup losses from the French and Indian War obviously caused the tensions that led to the Revolutionary War.