English Reference
noun

taxation

n.
US /tækˈseɪʃən/ UK /tæksˈeɪʃən/ tax·a·tion UK spelling taxations

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Law

    the act of a government taking a portion of money from people or businesses.

    the act or process of imposing a tax upon persons, entities, or transactions. Uncountable in this general sense.

    Simple

    The government introduced new taxation on plastic packaging to reduce waste.

    In context

    The parliament debated whether the proposed taxation on capital gains would discourage long-term investment in the domestic tech sector.

    levyingassessment
  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate Academic Law

    a particular set of rules for how taxes are calculated and collected.

    a specific fiscal system or method by which a government generates revenue. Often used with qualifying adjectives.

    Simple

    Progressive taxation means that people who earn more money pay a higher percentage in tax.

    In context

    Economists often argue that a system of direct taxation is more transparent than one relying heavily on indirect levies and consumption taxes.

    tax systemfiscal policy
  3. 03 C1 Advanced Formal

    the total amount of money a government receives from taxes.

    the total revenue or yield accrued by a state through the collection of taxes.

    Simple

    The city used the money from taxation to build a new library and repair the roads.

    In context

    The sudden shortfall in taxation forced the administration to reconsider its ambitious infrastructure projects for the coming fiscal year.

    revenuepublic funds

In the last Budget, then-Chancellor Rachel Reeves cut some so-called policy costs and shifted some onto general taxation instead.

BBC News· 26 Aug 2026

From Middle English taxacioun, from Anglo-Norman taxacion, from Latin taxātio (“rating, appraisal”). By surface analysis, tax + -ation.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin taxātio
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated