tax

tax

n. a governmental assessment (charge) upon property value, transactions (transfers and sales), licenses granting a right, and/or income. These include Federal and state income taxes, county and city taxes on real property, state and/or local sales tax based on a percentage of each retail transaction, duties on imports from foreign countries, business licenses, Federal tax (and some states' taxes) on the estates of persons who have died, taxes on large gifts, and a state "use" tax in lieu of sales tax imposed on certain goods bought outside of the state. (See: income tax, estate tax, gift tax, use tax, unified estate and gift tax, franchise tax)

tax

a levy made by national or local government to pay for services provided by public bodies. There is no inherent power in the Crown to raise money in this way; express provision must be made by statute. Changes to tax law are made annually in the Finance Act(s); periodically the law is consolidated, as for example in the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 or the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992. See TAXATION.