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death tax

death tax

8 5.9
A government charge on property given to people after someone dies
  • noun
  • /dɛθ tæks/
  • US
translation icon : impuesto sobre sucesiones
  • Many people believe that the death tax unfairly burdens grieving families during a difficult time.
  • eliminate the death tax
  • repeal the death tax
  • abolish the death tax

And sometimes you might hear of the the death tax or the estate tax.

Examples

  • The high cost of the death tax—I don't like double taxation, but the death tax is usually triple taxation, and that makes a bad tax even worse.

    Blog text (11)
  • America's farmers and ranchers are about to take a huge hit, thanks to the death tax being reestablished on January one.

    Blog text (14)
  • And sometimes you might hear of the the death tax or the estate tax.

  • Mother had everything me and Jon had, too, to start paying off her death taxes.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Watch out for that death tax, King County ranchers...

    Blog text (26)
  • Ranchers, farmers brace for 'death tax' impact.

    Blog text (16)
  • I mean, we have an estate tax - death tax - that families who inherit must pay taxes on money the deceased already paid taxes on.

    Blog text (21)
  • Earlier this month, the House Ways and Means Committee included full repeal of the estate tax (a.k.a. the death tax) in their tax package.

    Blog text (29)
  • Changes to the death tax could significantly impact how estates are managed after someone's passing.

  • Advocates for reform argue that the death tax disproportionately affects middle-class families inheriting modest estates.

Synonyms

estate tax
vsdeath tax
  • Specialized
29 4.8

A tax on someone's money and property when they die before their family gets it

is imposed on transfers to heirs after death
inheritance tax
vsdeath tax
4 4.3

A tax on money or property you receive when someone dies

focuses on the transfer event rather than on individual received shares
death duty
vsdeath tax
  • Archaic
8.1

A tax paid to the government on things a person owned when they died

emphasizes the tax on the act of transferring property to heirs

How High

death tax
  • US
8 5.9
transfer tax
  • Formal
1 6.3
tax-free
27 2.9

Surface Forms

death tax singular
death taxes plural

Morphology

death + tax

The compound 'death tax' combines 'death' and 'tax' in a straightforward way to indicate a tax associated with someone's death or the transfer of property at death. This meaning is directly compositional and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Death tax joins death and tax to create a strong image: a tax that happens because someone dies. So it means 'a tax on property or money left to heirs'.