[1] Benveniste was an important official of Barcelona and the tax collector and treasurer (bailiff) of King Jaume I of Aragon.
Thus on 17 December 1257, he advanced 3,863 sous on the dues of his bailiwick;[2] and on the 15th of the following month he received the right to sell the tax collection of Barcelona and Girona for two years.
[3] The total advances to the king was no less than 199,483 sous,[4] which Benveniste was allowed to recover by giving to him the tax collection from Lleida and other places of his bailiwick.
The latter continued to act as the bailiff for the king, since a record is found of acknowledgment of an advancement of 15,000 sous, paid by Benveniste to the bishop of Barcelona when proceeding on an embassy to France on 1 January 1254;[11] and as late as 1 February 1268, the tax collection from the Jews of Girona were assigned to Benveniste.
[12] Altogether Benveniste stood high in favor with the king and when on May 29, 1264, his brother Nahmanides was pardoned, two-thirds of the fine he had incurred for the alleged crime of vituperating Jesus in the celebrated disputation of 1263 was remitted, the king expressly stating that the pardon was given "amore Benveniste de Porta, fratris tui".