taxation

American  

[tak-sey-shuhn] / tækˈseɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of taxing.

2. the fact of being taxed.

3. a tax imposed.

4. the revenue raised by taxes.

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taxation British  

/ tækˈseɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or principle of levying taxes or the condition of being taxed

2. 1. an amount assessed as tax

   2. a tax rate

3. revenue from taxes

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taxation Cultural  

1. A government's practice of collecting money from citizens and businesses within its domain to support its operations.

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Usage

What is taxation? Taxation is the act of making people and organizations pay taxes. Taxation is how a government collects money (taxes) in order to financially support itself. Governments use the money collected from citizens to pay for welfare programs, the military, roads and bridges, government employees, science programs, public schools, and the many other services a government is responsible for. Almost every country on Earth has some form of taxation system. Taxation is not voluntary, even if the taxpayer doesn’t directly benefit from the tax they pay. You cannot refuse to pay taxes without consequences. In most countries, you will be jailed or suffer another punishment for not paying taxes.

Other Word Forms

• nontaxation
  noun
• retaxation
  noun
• self-taxation
  noun
• antitaxation
  adjective
• protaxation
  adjective
• taxational
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of taxation

1250–1300; < Medieval Latin taxātiōn- (stem of taxātiō ) an appraising ( see tax, -ation); replacing Middle English taxacioun < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin, as above

Explanation

Taxation refers to the practice of a government collecting money from its citizens to pay for public services. Without taxation, there would be no public libraries or parks. One of the most frequently debated political topics is taxation. Taxation is the practice of collecting taxes (money) from citizens based on their earnings and property. The money raised from taxation supports the government and allows it to fund police and courts, have a military, build and maintain roads, along with many other services. Taxation is the price of being a citizen, though politicians and citizens often argue about how much taxation is too little or too much.

Example Sentences

The schemes ease economic regulations such as taxation and customs duties within a given territory to attract investors.

From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026

Mitchell was also named the president of the group, which was promising to “focus on policy areas like taxation, economic development incentives, deregulation and zoning at the state and local level.”

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026

Because the means we used to have — taxation — don’t work anymore.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026

Therefore, delaying benefits until 70 means that the larger benefit amount may be shielded from state taxation.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026

I gave little thought to the debates regarding taxation by our Parliament.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• duty
• tariff
• tax
• tax collection