withholding tax

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noun

that part of an employee's tax liability withheld by the employer from wages or salary and paid directly to the government.

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Also called withholding.

Origin of withholding tax

First recorded in 1940–45

OTHER WORDS FROM withholding tax

un·with·hold·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use withholding tax in a sentence

It is, after all, only reviewing a decline of a stay of an injunction to stop withholding licenses.
Gay Marriage Chaos Begins|Jay Michaelson|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One reason for withholding information was the president had no intention of shutting down the initiative.
How the Reagan White House Bungled Its Response to Iran-Contra Revelations|Malcolm Byrne|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Second, penalties need to be increased for lying or deliberately withholding relevant requested information from Congress.
George W. Bush’s Puzzling WMD Coverup|Rick Santorum, Pete Hoekstra|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Government officials have no allowable reasons for withholding critical data from lawmakers.
George W. Bush’s Puzzling WMD Coverup|Rick Santorum, Pete Hoekstra|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The official—and maybe even legitimate reason—for withholding those facts is that the case is still under investigation.
Ferguson Police Protect and Serve Themselves With Michael Brown Smear|Michael Daly|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These are very common examples of defective economy; and of that 'withholding' which the Scripture says 'tends to poverty.'
The Young Man's Guide|William A. Alcott
Did she, like the rest of them, suspect me of seeking to frustrate his suit by withholding his fortune?
Dross|Henry Seton Merriman
Who are the other parties who are withholding their testimony?
The Diamond Coterie|Lawrence L. Lynch
The motive for withholding Shakspeare's plays from the press is as easily understood as that for publishing Marlowe's.
Notes & Queries, No. 53. Saturday, November 2, 1850|Various
They contain one instance, which is not familiar, of the inconvenience of withholding the franchise from English women.
The College, the Market, and the Court|Caroline H. Dall

British Dictionary definitions for withholding tax

withholding tax

noun

tax deducted at source from income, esp from dividends, paid to nonresidents of a country, which may be reclaimed if a double-taxation agreement exists between the country in which the income is paid and the country of residence of the recipient

US a portion of an employee's tax liability paid directly to the government by the employer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for withholding tax

withholding tax

The tax withheld (or deducted) directly from one's paycheck.