1678 Revenue

In 1678, Jacob vander Burgh was the City's treasurer. He started the year with 81,500 guilders and was the first treasurer whose Reekening or account book balanced revenue and expenses. The following year, vander Burgh was treasurer again, and reported beginning the year with 95,618 guilders. Again, he balanced revenue and expenses, a tradition that would continue.
Leo Belgicus
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The table below shows the Reekening's headings and major subheadings that had totals and sub-totals. Some of them are very long and list the sub-subheadings; they have been shortened (though not re-worded or re-spelled) for this table. These section headings in the account books remained almost identical for years 1658 through 1681. The revenue/expense total of 630,060 guilders for 1678 was closer to the more common 400-500,000 guilders than to the excesses of 1674 and 1675 after the Rampjaar, when it was almost triple that level, peaking at a little over 1.1 million guilders in 1675.

For comparison, the far right column has the somma grossa from 1661. The major difference was the 6th somma grossa, the amount of property taxes paid to the city.

Omitted are the items, the names, dates, and descriptions, which are shown in some of the page images on the left sidebar. The page numbers give a sense of the relative size of each section. The Expenses section of every volume was twice as large as the Revenue section because of all the people who received payments on annuities that they had bought over the years.

This table omits the stuivers and pennies so the somma grossas are a guilder or two larger than the sum of their sub-totals. The Leo Belgicus (Belgian Lion, right by ) was an oft-repeated visual allegory, a testimony to the Republic's reputation and stature in Europe. Click for larger sizes.

Revenue
Ontvangh

page short Dutch description short English translation guilders
        1678 1661
2 Ontvangh van den afgegaen Tresorier d'anno 1677 Received from the outgoing treasurer 1st somma grossa 81,500 82,212
2v-6v Ontvangh van de incomen van Stadts axcijsen Received from the income from the City's excise taxes 2nd somma grossa 52,632 59,225
7-17v van verhuirde huizen endde gronden from the lease of buildings and grounds 3,859    
18-19 van thuijnen ende landen binnen de Stadt from gardens and land inside the City 109    
19v-20v van solders from lofts 139    
21-25 van stallen from stables 682    
25v-39v van stede aertveste, mitsgaders de huisen daer op staende from City earthworks, together with the buildings that stand on them 3,860    
40-46 van boeten from fines and penalties 880    
47-54v van losrenten -- diverse from annuities -- various 1,333    
54v Ontvangh van allerleij partien van huisen, gronden, landen, ende Losrenten Received from all parties for buildings, grounds, land, and annuities 3rd somma grossa 10,864 11,843
55-55v van diversche domeijnen from various domains 5,952    
56-61v vant recht van den duervaert op den Leitsendam from the rights of passage at the Leidschendam 3,266    
62-63v van de ambachts heerlijchheid van Overschie from the seigniory of Overschie 190    
64 van de ambachts heerlijchheid van Voorburch from the seigniory of Voorburg 55    
64v-65 van de ambachts van Schonderloo from the shire of Schonderloo 21    
65v vant wachtgeld from reduced pay 1667    
66 vant Rotterdamse veer from the Rotterdam ferry 2,715    
66v vant Haagse veer from the den Haag ferry 1,385    
67 vant Maessluis veer from the Maassluis ferry 786    
67v vant Leidse veer from the Leiden ferry 8,319    
67v Ontvangh vant incomen van verscheide domeinen, tienden, & veeren Received from the income from various domains, tithes, and ferries 4th somma grossa 24,861 27,736
68-70 van Stads goederen op de Delfshaven from City goods in Delfshaven 3,039    
70-71v van huiren van huisen ende gronden op Delfshaven from rental of houses and gounds in Delfshaven 270    
72-72v van Winterberchloon from Winterberchloon 278    
73v-75v van gronden ende caden op Delfshaven from grounds and warves in Delfshaven 385    
76-78 van Losrenten sprutende in de jaare 1591 from annuities from 1591 930    
78v-82 van recognitie penningen van betimmerde huisen from the assessment on wooden houses 145    
82v-83 van lastgelt op den haringe en lijnbanen from lastage (tax on ships) on herring and rope yards 443    
83 Ontvangh van t incomen van Delfshaven Received from the income from Delfshaven 5th somma grossa 5,542 5,879
83v-94 van penningen beij de Stadt aen de Tresorier verstrecht from the amount distributed by the City to the Treasurer 419,000   105,126
95 van verpondinge over de Stad Delft, ende Delfshaven property tax from Delft and Delfshaven 30,000    
95v-96 van verpondinge vant Poortlandt from property tax from Poortland 4,885    
96v vant brant ladder en immergelt from fire ladder and bucket fee 773    
96v     6th somma grossa 454,659 137,797
97 Somma total van den ontvangh Total received   630,060 324,722
        1678 1661

This volume has three large sections of more than 10 pages (20 counting both sides):

  • 7-17v    from the lease of buildings and grounds    3,859
  • 25v-39v    from City earthworks, together with the buildings that stand on them    3,860
  • 83v-94    from the amount distributed by the City to the Treasurer, that is, property taxes    419,000  

The city rented a variety of assets, among them lofts, cellars, stables, wagon houses, stalls for those selling meat, fish, and vegetables, towers, gatehouses, lumber and rope yards, drying racks, and bleaching fields.

The numbers in red, the property taxes, drove the total. It was almost exactly two-thirds of the revenue in 1678. By comparison, in 1661 it was over forty percent but only because it was lower; the other somma grossa were all slightly higher in 1661.

More money, in terms of number of guilders, stayed in the City in 1661 than in 1678.

Pie chart showing the revenue share for 1678
excise taxes 8%
property taxes 72%

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