noun
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the act or principle of levying taxes or the condition of being taxed
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an amount assessed as tax
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a tax rate
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revenue from taxes
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing taxation
American History I
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Liberty, Equality, Vocabulary: The French Revolution
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April Vocabulary Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
AIA management says policies for offshore capital controls and taxation have been in place for a long time but the latter has largely not been a concern for the Chinese mainland visitor segment, he notes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
They removed £150 from a typical annual domestic energy bill in April, by cutting some levies and moving others onto taxation.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Expectations for earnings before interest and taxation growth of 34% “should continue to support the AI capex narrative,” according to Inui and her team.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
The schemes ease economic regulations such as taxation and customs duties within a given territory to attract investors.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
We continued to study the American Revolution, and learned about the injustices of taxation without representation, and memorized passages from the Declaration of Independence.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
