Duties on Clocks and Watches Act 1797

The Duties on Clocks and Watches Act 1797 (38 Geo. III, c. 108) was an Act passed by the Parliament of Great Britain, instituting a tax on clocks and watches. The tax nearly ruined the manufacturers of clocks and watches as demand decreased considerably so that in less than a year the production of these had been reduced by a half, with thousands of people made unemployed. The tax was thus repealed within a year, in April 1798.