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

One think tank, Re:State, has suggested, external the government should allocate mayors 2.5p in every pound raised by the 20p basic rate of income tax in their areas.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Perhaps the answer could be some combination of taxing gains at death and taxing inheritances under the federal income tax, as recently advocated by my colleague Ray Madoff.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

The rates of income tax - for example, the basic rate of 20% on income from £12,571 to £50,270 - will not change as a result of the reform.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

On the other hand, small businesses will benefit from the income tax phase-out since owners pay individual tax.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Please don’t try to file an income tax at your age.

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones