Laudêmio of Petrópolis
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The Laudêmio de Petrópolis or "Prince's Tax" is a laudemium, i.e. a legal right, which establishes a tax to be paid to the descendants of the Petrópolis Branch of Prince Pedro de Alcântara, which includes Pedro Carlos de Orléans-Braganza and Duarte Pio, Duke of Braganza. The tax to be paid to the descendants of the former owners of the lands of Fazenda Córrego Seco, located in the Brazilian municipality of Petrópolis.[1]
This fee, incorrectly confused with a tax, corresponds to 2.5 per cent of the value of property purchase transactions in the area, and must be paid in cash to the Companhia Imobiliária de Petrópolis, an entity administered by the descendants of the Petrópolis Branch. Otherwise, the buyer, who is responsible for paying the fee, will not receive the definitive deed for the property purchased.
The laudemium is levied on properties in the 1st district of Petrópolis, the city centre, located in the area corresponding to the Fazenda do Córrego Seco. In the 19th century, Emperor Pedro II parcelled out the land, ceding the exploitation of the area to third parties who, in return, paid a fee to the imperial family every time the property changed hands. The heirs of the imperial family challenged the right to pay the laudemium in court, as the Córrego Seco farm was the family's private property, i.e. it did not belong to the Brazilian state.
One detail is that the Vassouras Branch no longer has a stake in this right, as they sold their share of the inheritance to members of the Petrópolis Branch, who run and manage the Petrópolis Real Estate Company (Companhia Imobiliária de Petrópolis).