Royal Treasury Board of the Island of Madeira
Original title: Junta da Real Fazenda da Ilha da Madeira
Crown treasury board created in 1775 to oversee the collection of taxes in Madeira, replacing the Provedoria da Fazenda; it was abolished in 1834 and replaced by an interim commission and, from 1835, a receiver-general.
The Governor and Captain-General of this archipelago, João António de Sá Pereira, pointed out to the government in mainland Portugal how carelessly various public revenues were being collected on this island, some of them having even ceased to be collected at all. In consequence, the royal letter (carta régia) of 6 April 1775 created the Royal Treasury Board of the Island of Madeira (Junta da Real Fazenda da Ilha da Madeira), whose specific purpose was to oversee the collection of all taxes and levies. It was composed of the Governor, as president, a clerk (escrivão), the Treasurer, the corregedor (royal district magistrate) and the juiz de fora (crown-appointed judge from outside the district).
The Royal Treasury Board replaced the former Treasury Superintendency (Provedoria da Fazenda) and operated until 6 August 1834. From then until 30 June 1835, treasury business was administered by an interim commission established by the decree of 23 June 1834, which also abolished the Board.
On 1 July 1835 treasury business passed into the charge of a receiver-general (recebedor geral, head of the district revenue office), the first to hold this post in Funchal being Francisco Correia Heredia.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 03-
A royal letter abolished the Provedoria da Real Fazenda attached to the Funchal customs house and created the Junta da Real Fazenda da Ilha da Madeira.
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Legislation of 23 June 1834 placed the Funchal customs on the mainland footing, imposed taxes criticised as harmful to Madeira, blamed estufas for discrediting Madeira wine, and abolished the Junta da Real Fazenda in favour of an interim treasury commission.
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The Junta da Real Fazenda of Madeira ceased functioning.
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The Junta da Fazenda ceased handling Madeira's public funds, which passed to a receiver-general, first Francisco Correia Herédia.
Place
Places mentioned · 01
- Funchal
Where the first receiver-general took office.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
People
People mentioned · 02- Francisco Correia Herédia1793–1880
First receiver-general of revenues in Funchal from July 1835.
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Governor and captain-general of Madeira whose report on lax tax collection led to the Junta's creation in 1775.