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

He repeated that he'd stick to the promises on income tax, VAT and National Insurance made in 2024.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

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

Because you already paid income tax on the contribution, you will only owe tax on the appreciation your investments had earned when you convert the money.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

June's borrowing figure was helped by higher revenues from income tax and VAT, while interest payments on inflation-linked debt fell.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Some draw on government help in the form of food stamps, housing vouchers, the earned income tax credit, or—for those coming off welfare in relatively generous states—subsidized child care.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich