income tax

American  

noun

income taxes plural

1. a tax levied on incomes, especially an annual government tax on personal incomes.

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income tax British  

noun

1. a personal tax, usually progressive, levied on annual income subject to certain deductions

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• income taxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of income tax

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

income tax

In a traditional pretax retirement account, savers don’t pay income tax on their contributions, and instead pay the tax when they withdraw the money in retirement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Burnham has hinted at allowing people to earn more before they start paying income tax, shifting the so-called personal allowance.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Sunday’s championship was played in New Jersey, which has an income tax.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026

But the Makerfield MP said he would stick to the pledges Labour made not to raise VAT, income tax or national insurance in its general election manifesto in 2024.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

I know we went to church to borrow emergency money once, and someone there showed Papa how to do his income tax.

From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals