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

Inheritances are not considered taxable income at the federal level, so your children will not owe income tax for receiving money, investments or property from you upon your death.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026

And as a mother of more than two children, Agi will pay no income tax at all if she returns to work.

From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026

They still had to pay taxes on the withdrawal, and a larger one would have pushed them into a higher income tax bracket.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

You know you’ll pay federal income tax at ordinary income rates.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

By and large the Milagro lawyer’s articles had been fairly innocuous—generalized summaries of welfare problems, advice on how to pay less income tax, on how to apply for and receive food stamps.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols