The Europe room of the Parliament of the Canary Islands hosted this Thursday the presentation of the IV volume of the Collection 'Origins and evolution of the Economic and Fiscal Regime of the Canary Islands' of the REF Chair promoted by the Social Council of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), which includes the evolution of the REF in the century of 1700 under the title 'From the splendor to the crisis of the fiscal-military State, 18th century'. The event was chaired by the president of the Parliament, Astrid Pérez, who highlighted the great value of this document.
“This is a copy prepared by one of the leading experts in the Economic and Fiscal Regime in the Canary Islands. I thank Mr. Salvador Miranda Calderín for his effort to publicize a fundamental instrument for the archipelago such as the REF”, she said. The president then gave the floor to the author, who pointed out that “the REF is constantly evolving. Proof of this is that during the 18th century it goes from splendor to decline”, to add that “at that time it should be noted that the Canarian elites lost the opportunity to establish a small industry with leather and dyes in the archipelago, since they preferred the easy money of re-exporting the colonials to Europe. The direct administration and the new fashion of smoking meant that the income and monopoly of tobacco became the main source of income for the Crown in the Canary Islands”, summarized the director of the REF Chair.
During the presentation, the author and the president were accompanied at the table by the vice president of the Social Council of the ULPGC, Jesús León Lima; the president of the Gran Canaria Business Circle, Juan Ramírez Said, and the dean of the College of Economists of Las Palmas, Alcibiades Trancho Lemes.
