taxation

American  

[tak-sey-shuhn] / tækˈseɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of taxing. tax.

2. the fact of being taxed.

3. a tax imposed.

4. the revenue raised by taxes. taxis. tax.

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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

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

Etymology

Origin of taxation

1250–1300; < Medieval Latin taxātiōn- (stem of taxātiō ) an appraising ( 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

Within the past two years, authorities codified the fine print on fund management, payment and settlement, accounting, and taxation, among other essential pillars.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

SpaceX recorded earnings before interest, taxation, amortization and depreciation of $7.5 billion on revenue of about $16 billion, according to PitchBook.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

"We are using the planning, property and taxation systems to achieve this as part of a joined-up package of solutions to a complex set of issues."

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

The solution of indexing capital gains to inflation would correct this distortion by adjusting the original purchase price for inflation before calculating taxable gains, ensuring that only genuine appreciation beyond inflation is subject to taxation.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Much of the state’s revenue was derived not from direct taxation, but from duties placed on goods moving in and out of the port.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• duty
• tariff
• tax
• tax collection