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Glite Dictionary
departure tax

departure tax

4.8
A tax travelers pay when they leave a country by plane, boat or land
  • noun
  • Formal
translation icon : impuesto de salida
  • Travelers should check if a departure tax must be paid in cash before leaving the country.

Examples

  • The government increased the departure tax to boost tourism revenue.

  • The departure tax is high.

  • Many airports around the world charge a departure tax that is not always included in the ticket price.

  • Don't forget the departure tax!

  • Travelers must pay a departure tax before boarding their flight home.

  • When leaving the country, tourists are required to show proof of payment for the departure tax.

  • Many airlines include the departure tax in the total cost of the tickets.

How Expensive

departure tax
  • Formal
4.8
small fee
9 1.0

Surface Forms

departure tax singular
departure taxes plural

Morphology

departure + tax

The meaning 'a tax imposed when leaving a country' is directly and compositionally derived from 'departure' (the act of leaving) + 'tax' (a government charge); together they straightforwardly denote a tax associated with departing. This noun‑noun compounding is a common, cross-linguistic pattern in English and other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Departure tax comes from the simple idea of paying a tax at the time of departure from a country. Travelers would pay it at the airport or border when they were leaving, so today it means 'a charge for leaving a country'.