tax

noun, often attributive \ ˈtaks \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: tax in a Sentence

Definition of tax

1 a : a charge usually of money imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes

b : a sum levied on members of an organization to defray expenses

2 : a heavy demand

See tax defined for English-language learners

Examples of tax in a Sentence

The decision was made to raise taxes.
He was accused of evading taxes.
What was your income before taxes?
What is the amount of tax to be paid?
What was your income before tax?

Recent Examples of tax from the Web

Her stay at the church angered Domenic Sarno, the city’s mayor, who threatened to strip South Congregational of its tax-exempt status.

— marek mazurek, BostonGlobe.com, "Peruvian woman granted stay of removal, leaves Springfield sanctuary," 12 June 2018
Cannabis growers: Updates for cannabis growers on proposed San Francisco tax legislation and cannabis commission, and on labor law.

— chronicle staff report, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bay Area political events: Doomsday Clock, election debriefing," 12 June 2018
Currently, hotel guests in San Antonio pay about 16.8 percent toward hotel occupancy taxes — with 7 percent going to the city, 6 percent to the state, 2 percent to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and about 1.8 percent to Bexar County.

— joshua fechter, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio weighs new hotel fee to raise funds for tourism promotion," 12 June 2018
Graffiti artists move in The Moroun family bought the station out of tax foreclosure in the 1990s.

— john gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit train station was a place where memories were made," 12 June 2018
The Katy ISD Education Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) organization for which donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

— staff report, Houston Chronicle, "Foundation funds teacher grants of more than $300,000," 12 June 2018
Voters so far are primarily interested in education, keeping jobs in Connecticut and lowering taxes, Brown said.

— shawn r. beals, Courant Community, "Republican Forces Primary For 100th House District In Middletown," 12 June 2018
The City Council plans to vote in a special meeting at noon Tuesday on repeal of Seattle’s controversial new head tax.

— daniel beekman, The Seattle Times, "Seattle City Council to vote at noon on repeal of big-business head tax," 12 June 2018
California's controversial gas tax hike is under fire, opposed by many voters and subject to a November repeal led by gubernatorial candidate John Cox and other Republicans.

— tony bizjak, sacbee, "Here's what your gas tax hike will fund in the Sacramento area - if voters don't repeal," 12 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tax.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of tax

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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tax Synonyms

Synonyms

assessment, duty, imposition, impost, levy;

Related Words

direct tax, personal tax;

capitation, custom(s), excise, hidden tax, income tax, poll tax, property tax, sales tax, single tax, sin tax, tariff, toll, tribute, value-added tax, withholding tax;

supertax, surcharge, surtax;

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

tax

verb

Definition of tax

taxed; taxing; taxes

transitive verb

1 : to levy a tax on

2 : to make onerous and rigorous demands on

the job taxed her strength

3 : charge, accuse

taxed him with neglect of duty

; also : censure

4 : to assess or determine judicially the amount of (costs in a court action)

5 obsolete : to enter (a name) in a list

there went out a decree … that all the world should be taxed
—Luke 2:1 (King James Version)

—

taxable

play \ˈtak-sə-bəl\ adjective

—

taxer

noun

See tax defined for English-language learners

See tax defined for kids

Examples of tax in a Sentence

He believes in taxing the rich to give to the poor.
You are taxed according to your income.
puzzles that tax your brain

Recent Examples of tax from the Web

There is not an answer in sight: His injuries have come at the plate, though playing the field full-time is certainly more physically taxing.

— anthony fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera's season-ending injury bad from all angles," 13 June 2018
There were times when Milland stumbled into emotionally taxing work that in a regular workplace would have come with preparation and consent.

— sarah kessler, WIRED, "The Crazy Hacks One Woman Used to Make Money on Mechanical Turk," 12 June 2018
Advocacy groups are urging people to cut back and governments, like Philadelphia, are taxing sugary drinks.

— isis almeida, Philly.com, "Popcorn to ruby bars: Chocolatiers branch out to woo millennials," 12 June 2018
Look for Clean Water Clean water is less taxing on your filter, so seek it out whenever possible.

— joe jackson, Outside Online, "Know When It's Time to Replace Your Water Filter," 11 June 2018
In May, King released an extensive criminal justice reform proposal that includes legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana.

— anthony man, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Democratic governor candidate joins pro-pot bandwagon," 8 June 2018
King also claims that cost savings from his criminal justice reform plans – by reducing or eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, legalizing and taxing marijuana – would help pay for the programs.

— gray rohrer, OrlandoSentinel.com, "King calls for bullet tax to pay for gun violence prevention," 1 June 2018
The Ramadan fast is physically and emotionally taxing for asylum-seekers, whose isolation and distance from family and friends is felt more sharply during a month meant for family and reflection.

— sarah malik, The Seattle Times, "Australia’s new rule for asylum-seekers makes sharing Ramadan meals even harder," 28 May 2018
Even players Williams’s age without her time off and recent pregnancy would consider skipping the French Open because the red clay is too taxing on the body, with longer rallies.

— tom perrotta, WSJ, "Serena Williams Can’t Resist Paris," 25 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of tax

Middle English, to estimate, assess, tax, from Anglo-French taxer, from Medieval Latin taxare, from Latin, to feel, estimate, censure, frequentative of tangere to touch — more at ²tangent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4

See Words from the same year

tax Synonyms

Synonyms

strain, stretch, test, try;

aggravate, agitate, annoy, bother, exasperate, gall, get (to), gnaw (at), grate, harass, harry, hassle, irk, irritate, nettle, pain, peeve, pester, rile, spite, vex;

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

tax-

combining form

variants: or taxo- or less commonly taxi-

Definition of tax-

: arrangement

taxeme

taxidermy

Origin and Etymology of tax-

Greek taxi-, from taxis

Financial Definition of TAX

tax

noun

What It Is

Taxes are required payments from citizens to governments. The payments fund projects and expenditures that serve the public interest.

How It Works

Most taxes are legislated, meaning that representatives elected by the citizens of a country or region determine what activities to tax, how much to tax, when to collect those taxes, and how to administer the proceeds. Individuals, businesses, and other entities subject to the tax must remit the tax or face enforcement action.

Why It Matters

Taxes are a topic of fierce debate in economics, politics, public policy and investing. For example, one of the most controversial taxes in the United States is the federal income tax. In the U.S., we have a progressive tax, meaning that a person's tax rate rises as income rises.

Economically speaking, one of the biggest effects of taxation is the impact it has on consumption. Generally, consumers will consume less when taxes rise and consume more when taxes fall.

In the investing world, taxes are also a major consideration. Some transactions trigger tax liabilities while others do not. The timing of buying and selling certain investments may trigger different tax liabilities. Ultimately, taxes reduce returns, and wise investors will consider their effects in all of their financial decisions.

Source: Investing Answers

TAX Defined for English Language Learners

tax

verb

Definition of tax for English Language Learners

: to require (someone) to pay a tax
: to require someone to pay a tax on (something)
: to require a lot from (something or someone) : to put demands on (something or someone)

tax

noun

Definition of tax for English Language Learners

: an amount of money that a government requires people to pay according to their income, the value of their property, etc., and that is used to pay for the things done by the government

TAX Defined for Kids

tax

noun \ ˈtaks \

Definition of tax for Students

: money collected by the government from people or businesses for public use

tax

verb

Definition of tax for Students

taxed; taxing

1 : to require to pay money to a government for public use

2 : to cause a strain on

Fighting to survive the storm taxed their strength.

Law Dictionary

tax

transitive verb

legal Definition of tax

1 : to assess or determine judicially the amount of (costs of an action in court)

2 : to levy a tax on

tax the corporation

tax capital gains

—

taxer

noun

Origin and Etymology of tax

Medieval Latin taxare to assess for taxation, tax, from Latin, to assess, value, fix

tax

noun, often attributive

legal Definition of tax

1 : a charge usually of money imposed by legislative or other public authority upon persons or property for public purposes

2 : a sum levied on members of an organization to defray expenses

Learn More about tax

See words that rhyme with tax Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tax Spanish Central: Translation of tax Nglish: Translation of tax for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of tax for Arabic speakers

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tax

Definition of tax

Examples of tax in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tax from the Web

First Known Use of tax

tax Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Economics Terms

tax

Definition of tax

taxable

taxer

Examples of tax in a Sentence

Recent Examples of tax from the Web

Origin and Etymology of tax

tax Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Economics Terms

tax-

Definition of tax-

Origin and Etymology of tax-

Financial Definition of TAX

What It Is

How It Works

Why It Matters

TAX Defined for English Language Learners

tax

Definition of tax for English Language Learners

tax

Definition of tax for English Language Learners

TAX Defined for Kids

tax

Definition of tax for Students

tax

Definition of tax for Students

Law Dictionary

tax

legal Definition of tax

taxer

Origin and Etymology of tax

tax

legal Definition of tax

Learn More about tax

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