Spanish tax reform of 1845

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Alejandro Mon, Finance Minister of Spain
in 1845.

The Spanish tax reform of 1845, approved in 1844, greatly changed the tax system of Spain. It established the basis for a system that continues to this day.

Background

In the summer of 1843, a military coup led by the

Isabella II, who had just reached the age of 13, was declared to have reached the age of majority, ending the regency. Within a year, that led to the beginning of the década moderada
, ten years of rule by the Moderates.

Reform

Ramón de Santillán was one of the key figures who drove the tax reform of 1845.

The executive council that came to power in 1844 was presided over by

Antiguo Régimen
and established a basis for taxation in Spain that remained intact to the end of the 19th century, and most of it continued well past that date, some remaining today.

The prior system had separate tax regimes in the former

Kingdom of Aragón, in Navarre, in the Basque Country and in the rest of Spain. It involved a great variety of taxes, most of them dating from the Middle Ages
.

The reform was largely along the lines of

direct taxation
. The new system involved five key taxes:

The reform also constituted changes in customs fees (

tariffs
).

Aftermath

The industrial and commercial subsidy was widely protested and resulted in a high level of

farmed to municipal governments and guilds
. The consumption taxes were also widely protested. They were seen as falling disproportionately on the poor.

The tax reform provided the basis for the recovery of Spain's finances during Isabella's reign and allowed a program of

Raimundo Fernández Villaverde
.

Sources
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spanish_tax_reform_of_1845&oldid=989753798"