# Law No. 4177 of December 11, 1962

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105648462](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105648462)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-4177-of-december-11-1962

## Summary
Law No. 4177 of December 11, 1962 is a Brazilian federal statute that establishes the annual budget for the Union (federal government) for the 1963 financial year. It formally estimates government revenue and fixes authorized expenditures for that period. The law was promulgated by President João Goulart and is digitally archived in Brazil's official legislative repository.

## Key Facts
- **Official Designation:** Lei nº 4177, de 11 de dezembro de 1962 (Law No. 4177, of December 11, 1962)
- **Legal Citation:** Commonly cited as Lei nº 4177/1962
- **Date of Promulgation:** December 11, 1962
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil, under President João Goulart
- **Method of Enactment:** Promulgation
- **Primary Subject:** Budget (Orçamento) for the Federal Government of Brazil (União Federal) for the 1963 financial year (Exercício Financeiro de 1963)
- **Legal Nature:** Instance of a "statute" (formal written document that creates law)
- **Jurisdiction:** Applies to Brazil
- **Place of Publication:** Brasília
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Digital Identifier (LexML Brazil):** `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-11;4177`
- **Official Text URL:** Available at `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4177.htm`
- **Wikidata Project Context:** Listed on the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws

## FAQs
**What is the primary purpose of Law No. 4177/1962?**
The law's core function is to authorize the federal government's fiscal operations for 1963. It does this by estimating expected revenue (receita) and legally fixing the authorized expenditures (despesa) for the Union for that financial year, which is the standard process for passing an annual budget in Brazil.

**Who enacted Law No. 4177/1962 and when?**
The law was enacted by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil. It was specifically promulgated by President João Goulart on December 11, 1962, which is the official date the statute came into force.

**For which financial year does this law set the budget?**
Law No. 4177/1962 establishes the budget for the 1963 financial year (Exercício Financeiro de 1963). This means it authorizes government spending and projects revenue collection for the calendar year following its enactment.

**Where can the full, official text of this law be accessed?**
The complete, authoritative text of Law No. 4177/1962 is available on the official Brazilian government legislative portal, Planalto.gov.br, at the specific URL `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4177.htm`. It is also cataloged in the national LexML Brazil system under the identifier `urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-11;4177`.

**How is this law classified in terms of legal instruments?**
This law is classified as a "statute." In legal and knowledge organization systems, a statute is a formal written document that creates law. This law is a specific instance of that general class, representing a legislative act that creates a binding legal norm—in this case, a budgetary legal norm.

**Is this law part of a larger collaborative documentation effort?**
Yes. Law No. 4177/1962 is included on the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a collaborative effort on Wikimedia platforms to improve the documentation and categorization of Brazilian legislation. This indicates its recognized importance within that specific knowledge curation community.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 4177/1962 is a critical piece of fiscal legislation that operationalized the Brazilian federal government's financial plan for 1963. As an annual budget law, it is a fundamental mechanism for implementing state policy, authorizing the collection of taxes and other revenues and legally permitting the expenditure of public funds on all federal programs, from public services and infrastructure to defense and social welfare for that year. Its passage was a necessary constitutional and legal step for the government to function financially.

The law's significance is heightened by its historical context: it was enacted in late 1962, during the presidency of João Goulart, a period of significant political instability that culminated in the military coup of 1964. Therefore, it represents one of the final budgetary laws passed under the pre-1964 democratic republic. Furthermore, its preservation and accessibility through modern digital identifiers like the LexML Brazil URN and its inclusion in official government archives ensure transparency and provide a primary source for historians, legal scholars, and economists studying Brazil's fiscal history, political economy, and governmental operations in the early 1960s.

## Notable For
*   **Specific Historical Artifact:** It is a concrete example of a federal budget statute from a pivotal and turbulent period in Brazilian political history (the final year of the Goulart administration before the 1964 coup).
*   **Canonical Legal Instrument:** It perfectly exemplifies the "statute" class as a formal written document that creates a specific legal norm—in this case, the annual financial plan of the state.
*   **Digital Preservation:** It is assigned a persistent, machine-readable identifier (`urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-11;4177`) in Brazil's national LexML system, ensuring stable long-term access and citation in the digital age.
*   **Official Source Availability:** Its full text is hosted on the authoritative `planalto.gov.br` domain, the official repository for Brazilian federal legislation, guaranteeing authenticity.
*   **Community Recognition:** Its inclusion on the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws marks it as a statute of documented interest for collaborative knowledge-building on Wikimedia projects.

## Body

### Legal Classification and Identity
Law No. 4177 of December 11, 1962 is formally classified as an **instance of a statute**. This means it is a specific, formal written document enacted by a competent authority (the Brazilian Presidency) that creates a binding legal rule. Its official title in Portuguese is "Lei nº 4177, de 11 de dezembro de 1962," and it is commonly cited by its legal citation "Lei nº 4177/1962." The Wikidata description for this entity is simply "Brazilian law." Its primary function is to serve as the tangible manifestation of a statutory legal norm concerning federal budgeting.

### Historical and Political Context
The law was **published in Brasília** on its date of enactment, **December 11, 1962**. It was **approved and promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil**, with the specific head of state being **President João Goulart**. The "determination method" recorded for its creation is "promulgation," which is the formal act by which the head of state enacts a bill into law. This places the law within the specific political and constitutional framework of Brazil in 1962, during the final phase of the Second Brazilian Republic before the military regime began in 1964.

### Substantive Content and Scope
The core substantive content of the statute is defined by its **law digest**: "ESTIMA A RECEITA E FIXA A DESPESA DA UNIÃO PARA O EXERCICIO FINANCEIRO DE 1963." This translates to "Estimates the Revenue and Fixes the Expenditure of the Union for the Financial Year of 1963." Therefore, its **main subject** is the **budget** (Orçamento) of the **Federal Government of Brazil** (União Federal) for the specified **financial year** (Exercício Financeiro). The law does not create new policy programs but rather provides the legal authorization for the government's financial plan for the upcoming year, estimating income and setting limits on spending across all federal ministries and agencies.

### Jurisdiction, Language, and Form
The law **applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil**. It was originally written and enacted in **Brazilian Portuguese**, which is the official language of the federation. As a statute, it exists as a formal written document. Its **place of publication** is the capital city, Brasília, following the standard procedure for the publication of federal laws.

### Digital Accessibility and Archiving
The law has been systematically integrated into Brazil's digital legislative infrastructure. It is assigned a unique and persistent identifier in the national **LexML Brazil** system: **`urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-11;4177`**. This URN (Uniform Resource Name) provides a stable, machine-readable reference. The full, official text of the law is **available at the URL** `https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/1950-1969/l4177.htm` on the `planalto.gov.br` domain, which is the official website for the compilation of Brazilian federal legislation. This ensures public access to the authentic legal text.

### Project and Community Context
Within the ecosystem of collaborative knowledge projects, Law No. 4177/1962 holds a specific status. It is listed on the **focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws** on Wikimedia platforms. This indicates that the statute has been identified by that community as a notable or important Brazilian law that may require specific attention, improvement, or standardization in its documentation across Wikimedia projects like Wikipedia and Wikidata. This highlights its recognized relevance beyond its immediate legal effect.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1962-12-11;4177)
2. [Source](https://legislacao.presidencia.gov.br/atos?tipo=LEI&numero=4177&ano=1962&data=11/12/1962&ato=3deoXTE5kMVRVTcaa)
3. LexML Brasil