Meaning & use
a regressive tax
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablespecialistfinance
A tax that takes a larger proportion of income from low earners than from high earners.
Grammar: Countable: a regressive tax, regressive taxes. Often used with 'is' or 'introduce'.
Patterns
- a regressive tax on something
- introduce a regressive tax
- a regressive tax system
A sales tax on food is often called a regressive tax because poor families spend a bigger share of their income on it.
Critics say the new levy is a regressive tax that hits the poorest hardest.
Economists debated whether the flat fee was a regressive tax or a fair charge for services.
Word forms
| plural | regressive taxes |
|---|
Common combinations
- a regressive tax system
- The report criticized the country's regressive tax system.
- introduce a regressive tax
- The government was accused of introducing a regressive tax on basic goods.
- a regressive tax on something
- A regressive tax on fuel can hurt rural drivers most.
- widely seen as a regressive tax
- The poll tax was widely seen as a regressive tax.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flat tax
- A flat tax charges the same percentage for everyone, which can still be regressive in effect, but the terms are not identical.
Opposites
Word family
- regressive adjective
- Describing a tax or policy that affects lower earners more heavily.
- regressivity noun
- The quality of being regressive, especially of a tax.
Commonly confused: a regressive tax or progressive tax?
a regressive tax vs progressive tax
A progressive tax takes a larger share from high earners, the opposite of a regressive tax.
Practice
Which situation best describes a regressive tax?
Choose one answer.
A regressive tax hits lower earners harder as a share of income. Option 0 describes a progressive tax, option 2 describes a tax on the wealthy only, and option 3 describes a rebate.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a regressive tax”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.