tax

Taxes are a method for a centralized government to collect money from its citizens in order to fund public instutitions, such as schools, police forces, and roads. Taxes are seen as evil by most people, and while are excessive in many cases, may be justified by nearly everyone.

"Only two things are certain, death and taxes."

A 3-letter opcode for the 6502 processor. This opcode copies the 8-bit value, that is held by the Accumulator, to the X register. This instruction is the reverse of TXA.

Back to the 6502 opcodes metanode

v. Slang: 1. To engage in intercourse with.
2. To use very often.

The Beastie Boys featured this word in Rhyming and Stealing "Taxing all y'all squares"

1. The fee the government charges for services such as public schools, transportation infrastructure, national defense, law enforcement, and the like.

2. A 6502 instruction that copies register A into register X.

• Function: A => X
• Updates flags: S . . . . . Z .
• Opcode number: $AA (2 cycles)

Similar: TXA | TAY
See also: 6502 instructions | 6502 addressing modes

There are generally two classifications of taxes progressive, in which those with higher incomes bear the brunt of the burden (pay a greater percentage of their income), and regressive, in which the reverse occurs.

The American system of income tax is an obvious example of a progressive tax. Middle class people pay a fair percentage of their income in income taxes, and the poor don't pay any income tax at all, in fact, they may actually get money from those who do pay them through the Earned Income Tax Credit. The wealthy can frequently structure earnings in a way to minimize the amount they pay in income tax.

Sales taxes would be an example of a regressive tax. People who save don't pay sales taxes, but lower income people have to spend higher percentages of their income to live day to day. For this reason, a sales tax is a much greater burden for someone making $10,000 yearly than one making $100,000.

Corporate taxes are another regressive tax. Corporations sell goods. Any taxes levied on them is passed on to consumers. Since the poor consume far more than they save, they pay a good chunk of their funds in taxes passed along to them in this way.

Some taxes pass wealth from one demographic to another. Social security is one example. This program is effectively a transfer of money from people who die young to those who live long (since the benefits only pay until death and are not inheritable). In America, I have frequently seen this phenomenum presented racially: Social security is effectively a tax on black men (who work but die young on average) to benefit white women (who live much longer).

Due to the inherent inefficiencies of government, we can generally be sure that our tax dollars are being spent as irresponsibly as one reasonably could without being arrested or sickened by one's own since of decency.

No one has implemented any reasonable alternatives to taxes in any country I'm aware of, and the constant struggle is between lowering taxes and reducing government functionality, or raising taxes and increasing government functionality.

Tax (?), n. [F. taxe, fr. taxer to tax, L. taxare to touch, sharply, to feel, handle, to censure, value, estimate, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch. See Tangent, and cf. Task, Taste.]

1.

A charge, especially a pecuniary burden which is imposed by authority.

Specifically: --

(a)

A charge or burden laid upon persons or property for the support of a government.

A farmer of taxes is, of all creditors, proverbially the most rapacious. Macaulay.

(b)

Especially, the sum laid upon specific things, as upon polls, lands, houses, income, etc.; as, a land tax; a window tax; a tax on carriages, and the like. Taxes are annual or perpetual, direct or indirect, etc.

(c)

A sum imposed or levied upon the members of a society to defray its expenses.

2.

A task exacted from one who is under control; a contribution or service, the rendering of which is imposed upon a subject.

3.

A disagreeable or burdensome duty or charge; as, a heavy tax on time or health.

4.

Charge; censure.

[Obs.]

Clarendon.

5.

A lesson to be learned; a task.

[Obs.]

Johnson.

Tax cart, a spring cart subject to a low tax. [Eng.]

Syn. -- Impost; tribute; contribution; duty; toll; rate; assessment; exaction; custom; demand.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Tax (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Taxed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Taxing.] [Cf. F. taxer. See Tax, n.]

1.

To subject to the payment of a tax or taxes; to impose a tax upon; to lay a burden upon; especially, to exact money from for the support of government.

We are more heavily taxed by our idleness, pride, and folly than we are taxed by government. Franklin.

2. Law

To assess, fix, or determine judicially, the amount of; as, to tax the cost of an action in court.

3.

To charge; to accuse; also, to censure; -- often followed by with, rarely by of before an indirect object; as, to tax a man with pride.

I tax you, you elements, with unkindness. Shak.

Men's virtues I have commended as freely as I have taxed their crimes. Dryden.

Fear not now that men should tax thine honor. M. Arnold.

 

© Webster 1913.