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Glite Dictionary
state tax lien

state tax lien

1 7.9
A claim a state makes on your property when you do not pay taxes, so it can sell the property
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : gravamen fiscal estatal
  • The IRS filed a state tax lien against his property after years of unpaid taxes.

Examples

  • She hired a lawyer to help remove the state tax lien from her records.

  • A state tax lien can affect your credit rating and ability to sell your home.

  • The state tax lien was filed against her property.

  • He received a notice about his state tax lien last week.

  • The property was seized due to a state tax lien after he failed to pay his taxes.

  • She discovered a state tax lien on her home, which was a result of unpaid state taxes.

  • Before selling the house, he needed to address the state tax lien that had been placed on it.

Synonyms

lien
vsstate tax lien
  • Specialized
30 9.4

A legal right to keep someone's property until they pay a debt

is the specific government claim that allows seizure or sale to recover unpaid dues
tax lien
vsstate tax lien
  • Specialized
3 7.6

A claim by the government on property like a house for unpaid taxes that lets the government take it

is the same claim made by a regional government to collect owed amounts

Surface Forms

state tax lien singular
state tax liens plural

Morphology

state + tax + lien

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'state' (government), 'tax' (a government charge) and 'lien' (a legal claim on property); together they clearly indicate a government's legal claim to collect unpaid state taxes via a property. This is a regular noun–noun legal compound following predictable composition (and similar constructions exist in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the three constituents should understand it.

Etymology

State tax lien pictures the state placing a legal 'tie' called a lien on your property when taxes are not paid. That 'tie' stops you from selling the property until you pay, so the phrase means a government 'claim' on your property to collect unpaid taxes.