sin tax
3
5.3
- noun
- /sɪn tæks/
- Literature
:
impuesto sobre productos nocivos
- I'm not in favor of more sin taxes on fatty foods.
- sin tax on alcohol
- sin tax on tobacco
- sin tax on cigarettes
Examples
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If you're referring to sin taxes, like taxes on alcohol or tobacco, then the central thing to remember is that these are all taxes on acts of commission.
Blog text (22) -
It's about time someone besides smokers gets their sin taxes increased.
Blog text (1) -
"Sin" taxes are where states always go for revenue.
Blog text (1) -
On another front, there has been much talk in the US about sin taxes to raise revenues.
Blog text (20) -
I have put up with the ever-increasing 'sin taxes' on tobacco.
Blog text (19) -
That's what we Tennesseans call a "sin tax."
Blog text (1) -
Alcohol and tobacco prices will keep rising; the government is broke and knows it can always raise taxes on these things and justify it as a sin tax.
Blog text (1) -
Given that Maryland is a small state and borders four other states, plus DC, many of which have much lower "sin" taxes (Delaware has no sales tax at all), the Maryland Assembly will not see as much revenue.
Blog text (1) -
The government imposed a sin tax on sugary drinks to discourage unhealthy consumption.
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Many people believe that a sin tax on tobacco can help reduce smoking rates.
Synonyms
11
5.5
A tax on goods like tobacco and alcohol charged for each item or amount sold
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward composition of 'sin' (moral wrongdoing) and 'tax' (a government charge), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a tax on sinful or harmful products/activities. The noun + tax pattern (e.g. 'luxury tax', 'carbon tax') is a regular, cross-linguistic composition, making this meaning immediately accessible to B1 learners.
Etymology
The noun sin tax may come from the idea of adding extra cost to things people called sin, like alcohol or tobacco. By putting a tax on those goods, governments raised money and tried to make people buy less, so the phrase now means a government tax on 'harmful' or 'wrong' products.