tax bases

Meaning

1. 1nouncountabletechnicalfinance

   The total amount of income, property, or sales that a government can tax in a particular area.

   Grammar: Countable noun; the singular is 'tax base'. It is often used in the plural when talking about different areas or types of tax.

   Patterns

   • a tax base
   • the tax base of something
   • broaden/expand the tax base
   • shrink the tax base

   The city's tax bases have grown as new businesses have moved in.

   When factories close, the local tax bases shrink and schools lose funding.

   Economists compare the tax bases of different states to see which rely more on sales taxes.

Word forms

Common combinations

broaden the tax base

The government wants to broaden the tax base by including online sales.

erode the tax base

Too many exemptions can erode the tax base over time.

local tax base

The local tax base depends heavily on property values.

national tax base

A strong national tax base allows better public services.

shrink the tax base

High emigration can shrink the tax base.

Synonyms and how they differ

taxable income

Taxable income is the amount of money a person or company can be taxed on; a tax base is the whole set of things a government can tax, such as income, property, and sales.

revenue base

Revenue base is a broader term for all sources of government income, while tax bases refer specifically to things that can be taxed.

Word family

tax base noun

The singular form, meaning the total amount that can be taxed.

taxable adjective

Describing something that can be taxed.

taxation noun

The system of collecting taxes.

Commonly confused: tax bases or tax basis?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tax bases”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words