direct tax

American  

noun

Government.

1. a tax exacted directly from the persons who will bear the burden of it (without reimbursement to them at the expense of others), as a poll tax, a general property tax, or an income tax.

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direct tax British  

noun

1. a tax paid by the person or organization on which it is levied Compare indirect tax

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Other Word Forms

• direct taxation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of direct tax

An Americanism dating back to 1785–90

Compare meaning

How does direct-tax compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• direct tax vs. indirect tax

Example Sentences

Hense said a sticking point from an index provider perspective was that the EU does not have access to direct tax receipts.

From Reuters • Apr. 27, 2023

This is a direct tax on the annual profits of businesses - essentially, a form of income tax for companies.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2022

“He will also point to the other ideas he has proposed on areas ranging from housing to care for seniors and people with disabilities to higher education affordability to direct tax relief for families.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2022

Nevertheless, courts have generally understood a direct tax to be a levy on income or wealth, as opposed to a tax on purchases or services.

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2019

A direct tax is a tax on real property or a poll tax.

From Citizenship A Manual for Voters by Cromwell, Emma Guy