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tax base

tax base

18 4.2
The total value of income, goods, or sales a government can collect money from
  • noun
  • /tæks beɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : base imponible
  • In Camden, New Jersey, for example, the tax base behind each student is only 10 percent of the state average.
  • broaden the tax base
  • eroding tax base
  • tax base will increase

Oregon needs a tax base to grow.

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Examples

  • The most important element of real sovereignty in the intergovernmental system is a tax base.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Cleveland was clearly good for the money, with a tax base that was plenty big enough.

    Blog text (19)
  • Oregon needs a tax base to grow.

  • Because of the minimal tax base, little local money is available for technology.

    Academic text (2007)
  • We have greatly increased the gross national product, and increased the tax base and the revenues of the federal government.

  • The benefits are numerous if these efforts succeed: a cleaner environment, a larger tax base for cities.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Union County is the fastest-growing county in the state, and the local tax base is expanding.

    Academic text (2003)
  • When wealthy individuals leave a country, the country suffers as its tax base falls.

  • Agricultural output, an important tax base, went into steep decline with the Zairization process of the 1970s.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Oregon needs a tax base to support essential public services.

Surface Forms

tax base singular
tax bases plural

Morphology

tax + base

The meaning is directly compositional: 'tax' (a government levy) combined with 'base' (the foundation or amount) yields the underlying amount/items on which taxes are assessed. This construction is common and has clear equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Tax base comes from the idea of a base or foundation for a government's taxes. It means the income, property, or sales a government can tax, so a larger tax base lets the government raise more money.