Meaning & use
back tax
Last updated
Meaning
nounusually pluralfinance
Tax that was due in an earlier period but has not yet been paid, so is still owed to the government.
Grammar: Most often used as back taxes: he owes thousands in back taxes.
Patterns
- owe back taxes
- pay back taxes
- back taxes on something
The couple owed three years of back taxes on their rental property.
She set up a payment plan to clear her back taxes.
The restaurant closed after the owner failed to pay back taxes.
Word forms
| plural | back taxes |
|---|
Common combinations
- owe back taxes
- The company owes back taxes from last year.
- pay back taxes
- He paid his back taxes in full.
- unpaid back taxes
- Unpaid back taxes can lead to penalties.
- back taxes and penalties
- He faced back taxes and penalties totaling five thousand dollars.
- collect back taxes
- The agency is trying to collect back taxes.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tax arrears
- Tax arrears is the more formal and common British term for the same debt.
- unpaid taxes
- Unpaid taxes is a plainer phrase that doesn't suggest how long the tax has been overdue.
- tax debt
- Tax debt is a broader term that includes current balances as well as overdue amounts.
Word family
Commonly confused: back tax or tax refund?
back tax vs tax refund
A tax refund is money the government returns to you, the reverse of back taxes.
Practice
The owner could not reopen the shop until he paid thousands of dollars in ____.
Choose one answer.
Back taxes are overdue taxes that must be paid. A refund or credit would give him money, and receipts are proof of purchase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “back tax”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.