Why are the colonists' complaints about "taxation without representation" unjustified?

There are several reasons why some people believed the colonists complaint of “taxation without representation” was unjustified. One reason was that some people believed the British were free to do whatever they wanted with their colonies. If the British felt the colonists should pay some of the costs of operating the colonies, the British were able to require this. Some people in the colonies believed this was a right the British government had.

Other people felt the colonies were receiving benefits from being British colonies. For example, the British protected the colonies when attacks occurred. The British also helped the colonial economy develop. Thus, the colonists should share in some of the costs of receiving these benefits.

There were some in Great Britain, including members of Parliament, who believed in the idea of “virtual representation.” They believed they were representing the colonists even though the members of Parliament lived in Great Britain. Therefore, these people argued, the colonists didn’t have to elect members from their colony to serve in Parliament since they already had representation in Parliament. There were reasons why some people believed “taxation without representation” was unjustified.