sin tax

noun

Informal.

1. a tax levied on cigarettes, liquor, gambling, or other things considered neither luxuries nor necessities.

sin tax

noun

1. informal,  a tax levied on something that is considered morally or medically harmful, such as alcohol or tobacco

Word History and Origins

Origin of sin tax¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

If a sin tax is successful and consumption drops — as it has with tobacco — “the tax base shrinks. And in the case of cannabis, there’s the added wrinkle that a high tax rate can push consumers back into the illicit market, which also reduces revenue,” she said.

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This is not the first time services for the state’s youngest children have been affected by reductions in a sin tax.

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“There’s not a general income tax, not a corporate tax. This is, from my perspective, more of a sin tax…. The cost borne by the taxpayers for gun violence is off the charts.… So it’s a small price to pay. This is pretty de minimis.”

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California voters eked out a win for children more than two decades ago based on a “sin tax.”

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Department of Revenue statistics show cannabis has become a larger source of state revenue than alcohol and tobacco as sources of “sin tax” revenue over the past five years, raising more than $2 billion for the state even before local sales taxes are calculated.

Read more on Seattle Times