poll-tax

A man pays his poll-tax at the town hall.

Definition

Noun: - A tax levied per person: A "poll-tax" is a fixed amount of tax that every adult individual must pay, regardless of their income or wealth. It is sometimes called a "head tax" because it is charged per head (per person).

Usage Examples

• (A per-person tax was implemented to fund community needs.)
• (People objected to the flat-rate tax as it did not account for differing incomes.)

Advanced Usage

• "to impose a poll-tax": to officially establish and enforce a per-person tax.

  • The king decided to impose a poll-tax on all adult males to finance the war. (The monarch required every man to pay a fixed tax for military funding.)

• "poll-tax revolt": a historical or political uprising against such a tax.

  • The poll-tax revolt in medieval England led to significant social changes. (A rebellion against the head tax caused major shifts in society.)

Variants and Related Words

• Poll (n): the process of voting in an election; also refers to a single person in a census or tax context.

  • The poll was conducted to count the population. (The voting or census procedure was used to tally individuals.)

• Tax (n): a compulsory contribution to state revenue, levied by the government on workers' income and business profits, or added to the cost of some goods, services, and transactions.

  • Income tax is deducted from your salary. (A portion of earnings is paid to the government.)

Synonyms

• Head tax: a tax of a fixed amount per person.

  • The head tax was abolished after widespread criticism. (The per-person tax was removed due to complaints.)

• Capitation tax: a direct tax levied on each individual, often used interchangeably with "poll-tax."

  • Capitation taxes are rare in modern democracies. (Such individual-based taxes are uncommon today.)

Related Idioms

• "pay through the nose": to pay an excessive amount of money (not directly related, but often used in contexts of unfair taxation).

  • Under the poll-tax, the poor paid through the nose compared to the rich. (The poor paid disproportionately high amounts.)

• "tax everyone equally": a phrase describing the principle of a poll-tax, where all citizens owe the same amount.

  • The poll-tax was criticized for taxing everyone equally, regardless of ability to pay. (The flat-rate tax treated all individuals the same financially.)