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Taxes

Australiaʉۢ British Virgin Islands
Canadaʉۢ Chinaʉۢ Colombia
Franceʉۢ Germanyʉۢ Hong Kong
Indiaʉۢ Indonesiaʉۢ Ireland
Netherlandsʉۢ New Zealand
Peruʉۢ Russiaʉۢ Singapore
Tanzaniaʉۢ United Kingdom
United Statesʉۢ European Union

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Tax rates around the world
Tax revenue as % of GDP

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A tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed on an individual or a legal entity by a state or a functional equivalent of a state (for example, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements). Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities. Taxes consist of direct tax or indirect tax, and may be paid in money or as its labour equivalent (often but not always unpaid). A tax may be defined as a "pecuniary burden laid upon individuals or property to support the government […] a payment exacted by legislative authority."[1] A tax "is not a voluntary payment or donation, but an enforced contribution, exacted pursuant to legislative authority" and is "any contribution imposed by government […] whether under the name of toll, tribute, tallage, gabel, impost, duty, custom, excise, subsidy, aid, supply, or other name."[1]

In modern taxation systems, taxes are levied in money, but in-kind and corvée taxation are characteristic of traditional or pre-capitalist states and their functional equivalents. The method of taxation and the government expenditure of taxes raised is often highly debated in politics and economics. Tax collection is performed by a government agency such as Canada Revenue Agency, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States, or Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in the UK. When taxes are not fully paid, civil penalties (such as fines or forfeiture) or criminal penalties (such as incarceration)[2] may be imposed on the non-paying entity or individual.

Tax can result in anything from the mechanisms of slavery to the fruits of re-distributive social revolution, depending on the details of its implementation.

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