Closing boxes

The closing of boxes (in Catalan tancament of caixes) of Barcelona in 1899 is the name with which the protest of merchants and industrialists was known against the law of the Cabinet of Francisco Silvela and his Minister of Property, Raimundo Fernández Villaverde . The protest consisted in canceling commercial establishments and industries to stop paying the contribution without it being illegal. The protest was led by the city's own mayor, Dr. Bartomeu Robert, and began on October 20, 1899.

The closing of boxes was a consequence of the colonial crisis of 1898, which led the Spanish government to impose restrictive budgets accompanied by a tax increase to offset the deficit. The protest was mainly against the tax on capital and labor profits and personal income tax, with higher rates in Barcelona than in Madrid. Done that created a feeling of deceit between the Catalan bourgeoisie, since they had militated with the dynastic parties.

The Junta of the Industrial and Commercial Defense League held the call for protest. A Permanent Union Board was established, elected on behalf of more than fifty guilds of Barcelona. The protest spread to Sabadell, Mataró, Manresa and Villafranca del Penedés and some merchants were arrested for failing to pay the contributions. Consequences

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