You say...he says. I'm goin' with the dude who spent his life studying the subject. No offense.
....and his tortured spinning of the facts to score a political point.. To wit --
Once again, Parliament backed down, repealing all but one of the Townshend duties. The prime minister, Lord North, insisted on retaining the tax on tea, determined to underscore Parliament's right to impose direct levies on the colonies. The tea tax was not lucrative; after the costs of collection, it raised very little revenue. But Lord North considered it a vital symbol of imperial authority.
It was the arrogance of RETAINING the tea tax to "underscore Parliament's right to impose direct levies on the COLONIES" -- "a vital symbol of imperial authority".. that triggered the Tea Party.. The colonists didn't really care about "export duties" being rescinded on their Corporate suppliers.
Knock yourself out with the "brillance" of the contrived "interpretation"...