tax
n. C / Un. money that you must pay to the government. This money is used to pay for public things like schools, roads, and hospitals.
n. a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed upon a taxpayer by a governmental organisation in order to fund various public expenditures.
The government plans to raise the tax on fuel next year.
Most employees have income tax deducted directly from their monthly paychecks before they receive their salary.
Economists often debate whether a progressive tax system, where higher earners pay a larger percentage, is more effective at reducing wealth inequality than a flat rate.
From Middle English taxe, from Middle French taxe, from Medieval Latin taxa, from Latin taxō (“to appraise, value, estimate; (medieval) to tax”). Doublet of task. Displaced native Old English gafol, which was also the word for “tribute” and “rent”.
From Middle English taxen, from Anglo-Norman taxer (“to impose a tax”), from Latin taxāre (“to handle, to censure, to appraise, to compute”).
Uncountable when referring to the general system of taxation; countable when referring to a specific type of levy (e.g., 'a sales tax').
The government increased the taxes of incomeThe government increased income taxWhen referring to a specific category of taxation, use the noun as a modifier (income tax, sales tax) rather than a prepositional phrase.
- 01
cheese tax
A portion of cheese given to a domestic animal such as a dog or cat, usually when the cheese is being brought out or prepared for human consumption.
- 02
sin tax
A government-imposed tax on a specific good, service, or activity which is legal but widely considered to be unwholesome or socially harmful, such as a tax on alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, or gambling.