Diezmo
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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Diezmo
a tithe, often in kind, exacted for the maintenance of the Catholic Church and clergy from the inhabitants of Spanish and Portuguese colonies in America from the 16th through early 20th centuries, as well as in the Philippines and in Portuguese colonies in Asia and Africa. The diezmo was analogous to the medieval tithe. It was collected by the royal colonial administration and assessed at about 10 percent of the taxpayer’s total harvest and other income. After the colonies won their independence, the diezmo was revoked.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.