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

• 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 ( 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 Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation haven’t scored the four pieces of legislation on how much revenue they could raise.

From Barron's • Apr. 22, 2026

More than $400 million in taxes was written off thanks to a tax break on research and development costs, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026

The overwhelming majority of New York’s corporate tax revenue stems from a small percentage of corporations, according to the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025

According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, such taxpayers contributed an estimated $8.5 billion in state and local taxes in California in 2022, more than in any other state.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2025

He writes “No Taxation Without Representation” on the board.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Words

• duty
• tariff
• tax
• tax collection