Manuel Alves Branco (Portuguese: [manuˈɛw ˈawviz ˈbɾɐ̃ku]), the 2nd Viscount of Caravelas (7 June 1797 – 13 July 1855) was a Brazilian politician, economist, and magistrate during the Empire of Brazil (1822–1889).

As minister of finance, he introduced a new customs tariff in 1844 with the primary aim of increasing Brazil's revenue and reducing the fiscal deficit in the country's trade balance.

[8][9] The creation of such code, as mandated by the Imperial Constitution, had begun in the First Reign, when Lúcio Soares Teixeira de Gouveia, then minister of justice, presented his draft in May 1829.

[9] In 1810, in the context of the French invasion of Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars, prince regent John of Braganza signed the treaties of Alliance and Friendship and Commerce and Navigation with the United Kingdom as compensation for the British support and protection in the transfer of the Portuguese court to Brazil.

While initially not discriminating the origin of products in relation to the application of tariffs, a new decree was issued on 11 June 1808 that established a preferential tax of 16% to Portuguese goods, which led the United Kingdom to protest.

With the end of the regency period, plagued by rebellions and political instability, Brazil could turn its attention to its foreign policy and seek to break free from British influence.

[17] In his statement of reasons regarding the tariff, Alves Branco explained that:[18] Since the first objective of the tariff is to fill the deficit, in which the country has been working for years, it was my duty to ensure that the new rate of duties, which comprised the largest sum of values, was such that it would probably fill it; and because the income [generated] by the 20 percent which were generally paid for foreign goods brought to the country amounted to 12 to 13 thousand contos, it was obvious that, [in order] to achieve that aim, it would be necessary to increase it by another 10 percent; and this is the reason why foreign imports are [now] generally taxed at 30 percent.In André Villela's evaluation, the introduction of the tariff was "the first clearest manifestation of an official desire to grant some protection to domestic manufacturing activity [in Brazil], at that time still restricted to sugar mills, food processing, brickworks, small foundries and the homemade cloth industry".

[19] The subsequent academic debate about the tariff centered on its "true intention": on one side were those who considered its introduction only as a way of alleviating the precarious situation of revenue for the public treasury and on the other those who saw it as intended to protect the country's industry.

[21] Pedro Cezar Dutra Fonseca argued that, despite being "doubtful that the tariff resulted in a protectionist effect, since the 30% tax rate applied to most goods was considered low by Alves Branco himself", it is undeniable that the debate regarding the tax policy was fueled by nationalism, with Alves Branco stating that the General Assembly wanted "not only to fill the state's deficit, but also protect national capital already employed within the country in some manufacturing industry, and encourage others to seek the same fate".

[24] The adoption of the tariff thus led to industrial growth in these areas, which expanded in Minas Gerais, Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, the latter of which saw the construction of steamships with the Baron of Mauá's shipyard.