This act was passed to assert the authority of the British government to tax its subjects in North America after it repealed the much-hated Stamp Act. 1766 to 1767 Timeline: 1766 Repeal of the Stamp Act.The Declaratory Act stated that Parliament could pass laws on the American colonies because its authority was the same in America as in Britain. On March 18, 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and passed the Declaratory Act. By reducing the tax on imported British tea, this act gave British merchants an unfair advantage in selling their tea in America. The Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress. Boston Port Act Parliament closes the city's port in response to the Tea Party. The Suffolk Resolves ordered citizens to not obey the Intolerable Acts, to refuse imported British goods, and to raise a militia. In general the act is descryibed simply as a theoretical gesture or political tactic to ease the passage of the Stamp Act. Rhode Island declined to ask its inhabitants to take up the matter, expecting several towns to vote against independence.