poll tax

[ pohl ]

/ poʊl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR poll tax ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a capitation tax, the payment of which is sometimes a prerequisite to exercise the right of suffrage.

Words nearby poll tax

polka dot, poll, poll end, poll evil, poll parrot, poll tax, poll watcher, pollack, pollaiuolo, pollakiuria, pollan

Origin of poll tax

First recorded in 1685–95

Also called head tax.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for poll tax

One of these imposts was the poll-tax, similar to that which gave rise to Wat.
Roumania Past and Present|James Samuelson
The payment of an annual poll-tax of $2.50 is a prerequisite to voting.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7|Various
An annual poll-tax is also collected for the schools from every adult male.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 1|Various
Mr. Nicholas said a tax on salt was equally objectionable, whether it was considered as a poll-tax, or as a tax upon agriculture.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. II (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton

The poll-tax was abolished as a prerequisite for voting in the case of women.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV|Various

British Dictionary definitions for poll tax

poll tax

noun

a tax levied per head of adult population

an informal name for (the former) community charge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for poll tax

poll tax

A tax required as a qualification for voting. After the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution extended the vote to blacks in 1870, many southern states instituted poll taxes to prevent blacks from voting. The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1964, prohibits poll taxes for federal elections.