income tax

Income tax

A state or federal government's levy on individuals as personal income tax and on the earnings of corporations as corporate income tax.

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income tax

A tax levied on the annual earnings of an individual or a corporation. Income taxes are levied by the federal government and by a number of state and local governments. One set of rules applies to individual income and another to corporate income. The size and structure of an income tax greatly influence security prices and investor decisions.

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Income Tax

A tax on a person's individual income from wages and salary, gambling winnings, and some other sources. Importantly, capital gains are usually excluded from income taxes and are subject to their own system of taxation. An income tax may be a flat tax, which means that all citizens pay the same percentage of their incomes to the government. Most of the time, however, an income tax refers to a progressive income tax, in which citizens with higher incomes pay higher percentages.

For example, one who makes $100,000 per year pays a higher percentage, called a marginal tax rate, than one who makes $25,000. However, it is important to note that the marginal tax rate does not increase for one's entire income, merely each dollar over a certain threshold. Suppose one pays 10% of one's income up to $25,000, and 20% thereafter. The taxpayer making $25,001 does not suddenly have to pay 20% of his/her entire income ? merely on the one dollar over $25,000. That is, he/she owes 10% of $25,000 (or $2,500) and 20% of the $1 over that (or $0.20). All things being equal, this taxpayer owes $2,500.20 in taxes. See also: Adjusted gross income.

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income tax

A tax on income. A simple concept, but one that requires thousands of pages of IRS statutes, regulations, revenue rulings, and court interpretations to explain. See the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov.