# Law No. 911 of November 8, 1949

> Brazilian law

**Wikidata**: [Q105647712](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105647712)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/law-no-911-of-november-8-1949

## Summary
Law No. 911 of November 8, 1949 is a Brazilian statute that regulates import tax on wool, formally promulgated by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil and published in Rio de Janeiro. This federal law represents a specific piece of Brazil's post-World War II trade legislation and is documented in the LexML legal identifier system as part of the WikiProject Brazilian Laws archival initiative.

## Key Facts
- **Official Title:** Lei nº 911, de 8 de novembro de 1949
- **Legal Citation:** Lei nº 911/1949
- **Date of Enactment:** November 8, 1949
- **Country of Origin:** Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil)
- **Legal Classification:** Instance of a statute, which is a formal written document that creates law
- **Subject Matter:** Regulates import tax on wool, with the law digest stating "DISPÕE SOBRE O IMPOSTO DE IMPORTAÇÃO SOBRE LÃ"
- **Main Subject:** Import tax (Imposto De Importação)
- **Approving Authority:** Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Method of Approval:** Promulgation on November 8, 1949
- **Place of Publication:** Rio de Janeiro
- **Language:** Brazilian Portuguese
- **Jurisdictional Application:** Applies to the entire territory of Brazil
- **LexML Brazil Identifier:** urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-08;911
- **Wikimedia Project Status:** On focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws
- **Statute Definition:** As a statute, it is a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws, and serves as a manifestation of statutory law
- **Copyright Status:** Like other statutes, it is in the public domain in the United States under the edict of government doctrine and similarly in France
- **Library Classification:** Statutes are cataloged under Dewey Decimal 342.057 and 348.02
- **Authority Control:** The statute concept holds Library of Congress Authority ID sh85127611 and GND ID 4020660-9
- **Schema.org Equivalent:** The statute class is equivalent to https://schema.org/Legislation

## FAQs
**What is Law No. 911 of November 8, 1949?**
Law No. 911 is a Brazilian federal statute enacted on November 8, 1949, that specifically regulates import tax on wool. It is a formal written legal document promulgated by the Presidency of Brazil and published in Rio de Janeiro during the period when Rio served as the nation's capital.

**What does this law regulate?**
This statute exclusively addresses import tax on wool, as indicated by its official digest "DISPÕE SOBRE O IMPOSTO DE IMPORTAÇÃO SOBRE LÃ." It establishes legal norms governing taxation of wool imports into Brazil.

**Who enacted Law No. 911 and how?**
The Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil approved this law through promulgation on November 8, 1949. In Brazil's presidential system, the President serves as both head of state and head of government, holding authority to promulgate federal legislation.

**Where and when was this law published?**
Law No. 911 was published in Rio de Janeiro on November 8, 1949. At that time, Rio de Janeiro remained Brazil's capital city, as the capital would not transfer to Brasília until April 22, 1960.

**How is this law identified in legal systems?**
The law carries multiple identifiers: its official title "Lei nº 911, de 8 de novembro de 1949," its citation "Lei nº 911/1949," and its LexML Brazil identifier "urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-08;911." It is also tracked by WikiProject Brazilian Laws.

**What language is the law written in?**
The statute is written in Brazilian Portuguese, which has been Brazil's official language since independence in 1822. Portuguese is the sole official language of the Federative Republic of Brazil.

**What is the jurisdictional scope of this law?**
Law No. 911 applies to the entire jurisdiction of Brazil, the largest country in South America spanning approximately 8.5 million km². Brazil operates as a federal republic with a presidential system under its 1988 Constitution.

**Why is this law part of WikiProject Brazilian Laws?**
WikiProject Brazilian Laws is a Wikimedia initiative focused on documenting Brazilian legislation. Law No. 911's inclusion indicates its status as a historically archived federal statute that contributors have identified for systematic cataloging and preservation.

## Why It Matters
Law No. 911 of November 8, 1949 matters as a concrete artifact of Brazil's mid-20th century trade policy, reflecting the nation's regulatory approach to import taxation in the immediate post-World War II era. As a statute specifically targeting wool import taxes, it illustrates how Brazil's federal government exercised legislative authority to control trade flows and generate revenue through targeted customs duties. The law's preservation in the LexML digital repository and its inclusion in WikiProject Brazilian Laws underscore contemporary efforts to maintain comprehensive, accessible records of Brazil's legislative history. This digitization ensures that researchers, legal professionals, and citizens can access primary source documents that shaped Brazil's economic development. The statute also exemplifies the Brazilian legal system's structure, where the Presidency promulgates federal laws that apply uniformly across all 26 states and the Federal District. Its publication in Rio de Janeiro captures a specific historical moment before the 1960 capital relocation to Brasília. Furthermore, as an instance of a statute—a formal written document that creates law—it represents the foundational building block of Brazil's statutory law system, which operates alongside constitutional and regulatory frameworks. The law's public domain status ensures unrestricted access, supporting transparency and the rule of law principles essential to Brazil's democratic governance since the 1988 Constitution established the current federal republic structure.

## Notable For
- **Specific Commodity Focus:** Uniquely targets wool import taxation, representing sector-specific trade regulation rather than broad customs policy
- **Historical Publication Location:** Published in Rio de Janeiro during its final decade as Brazil's capital, providing geographical-historical context
- **LexML Integration:** Bears a standardized LexML Brazil identifier (urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-08;911), placing it within Brazil's official legal identifier system
- **Wikimedia Documentation:** Featured in WikiProject Brazilian Laws, highlighting its role in collaborative legal heritage preservation
- **Post-WWII Legislative Product:** Enacted in 1949, situating it within Brazil's early post-war economic policy framework under President Eurico Gaspar Dutra's administration
- **Presidential Promulgation:** Approved directly by the Presidency, reflecting the executive's legislative role in Brazil's presidential system
- **Statutory Classification:** As a statute, it belongs to a class of legal documents that are public domain in multiple jurisdictions, ensuring free public access
- **Brazilian Portuguese Original:** Exists in its authentic form in Brazilian Portuguese, the official language of the Federative Republic of Brazil
- **Federal Scope:** Applies to Brazil's entire jurisdiction, the fifth-largest nation in the world by area and sixth-most populous
- **Authority Control Linkage:** Connected to global library systems through its classification as a statute (LOC Authority ID sh85127611, GND ID 4020660-9)

## Body

### Basic Identification and Citation
Law No. 911 of November 8, 1949 is formally titled "Lei nº 911, de 8 de novembro de 1949" in Brazilian Portuguese. The statute carries the standardized legal citation "Lei nº 911/1949," following Brazilian legislative numbering conventions. Its LexML Brazil identifier is "urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-08;911," which provides a permanent, standardized URI within Brazil's legal information system. The law's digest, a concise summary of its content, reads "DISPÕE SOBRE O IMPOSTO DE IMPORTAÇÃO SOBRE LÃ," explicitly declaring its focus on import tax concerning wool. This federal statute is classified as an instance of the broader legal concept "statute," which is defined as a formal written document that creates law, encompassing acts, executive orders, and by-laws.

### Legal Classification and Authority
As a statute, Law No. 911 belongs to a foundational legal category that serves as the manifestation of statutory law. Statutes are created through legislation and function as official records of legal rules enacted by governmental authority. The law was approved by the Presidency of the Federative Republic of Brazil on November 8, 1949, through the process of promulgation. In Brazil's presidential system of representative democracy, the President serves as both head of state and head of government, wielding constitutional authority to enact federal legislation. This system has been in place under the current Constitution of Brazil, effective since October 5, 1988, though Law No. 911 predates this constitutional framework, originating during the period of the 1946 Constitution when Brazil functioned as a federal republic under President Dutra.

### Content and Regulatory Scope
The statute's sole regulatory subject is import tax on wool, making it a highly specific trade law rather than a general customs regulation. The main subject is listed as "import tax" with the stated specification "Imposto De Importação." This focus on wool import taxation reflects Brazil's post-World War II economic priorities and trade policy. The law establishes legal norms governing the taxation of wool entering Brazilian jurisdiction, contributing to the federal government's revenue generation and import control mechanisms. As a federal law, it would have applied uniformly across Brazil's entire territory, which spans 8,515,767 km² and includes 26 states plus one Federal District.

### Publication and Promulgation Details
Law No. 911 was published on November 8, 1949, in Rio de Janeiro, which served as Brazil's capital from the country's independence in 1822 until the capital's transfer to Brasília on April 22, 1960. The publication date is confirmed through direct sourcing from the LexML repository, with the sourcing circumstances noted as "inference" based on the official record. The law was promulgated on the same date, indicating immediate effect upon publication. The place of publication in Rio de Janeiro situates the law within a specific historical-geographic context, as the city functioned as the seat of Brazil's federal government throughout the first half of the 20th century.

### Jurisdictional and Linguistic Context
The statute applies to the jurisdiction of Brazil, a federal republic that declared independence from Portugal on September 7, 1822. Brazil is the largest country in South America, covering approximately 47% of the continent's land area and bordering ten nations. The law is written in Brazilian Portuguese, which has been Brazil's official language since its inception as an independent nation. Portuguese is the language of government, legislation, and official documents throughout Brazil's 26 states and Federal District. The law's jurisdiction encompasses Brazil's entire customs territory, which operates under the authority of the Federal Government and its National Congress (comprising the Federal Senate and Chamber of Deputies).

### Digital Identification and Archival Status
Law No. 911 is digitally preserved through multiple systems. Its LexML Brazil identifier "urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-08;911" follows the URN:Lex standard for identifying legal documents. The law is also on the focus list of WikiProject Brazilian Laws, a Wikimedia project dedicated to systematically documenting Brazilian legislation. This archival status ensures the law's preservation and accessibility within collaborative knowledge platforms. As a statute, the law is considered public domain material in the United States under the edict of government doctrine, which holds that official legal documents are not copyrightable. Similar public domain status applies in France. Globally, the concept of statutes is cataloged under Dewey Decimal classifications 342.057 and 348.02, with authority control identifiers including Library of Congress Authority ID sh85127611 and GND ID 4020660-9. The statute class is equivalent to the schema.org/Legislation class used in structured web data.

### Historical and Economic Significance
Enacted in 1949, this law emerged during President Eurico Gaspar Dutra's administration (1946-1951), a period when Brazil consolidated its democratic institutions following the 1946 Constitution. The focus on wool import taxation reflects the industrial and agricultural economic landscape of post-war Brazil, where import controls served both protective and revenue-generating functions. As the largest economy in Latin America today, Brazil's historical trade laws like Law No. 911 contributed to the development of customs regulations that evolved into the complex trade framework Brazil operates under in organizations such as Mercosur, WTO, and its extensive trade relationships with China, the United States, and the European Union. The law remains accessible through Brazil's LexML portal, which provides standardized access to historical and current federal legislation.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.lexml.gov.br/urn/urn:lex:br:federal:lei:1949-11-08;911)
2. LexML Brasil