Tasa

Tasa is a term used most often in Spanish-speaking contexts to denote a rate, fee, or tariff charged for a service or regulated by authorities. In economics and public finance, a tasa is a quantified charge that can be expressed as a percentage or a fixed amount. It is commonly found in phrases such as tasa de interés (interest rate), tasa de inflación (inflation rate), tasa de natalidad (birth rate), and tasa de crecimiento (growth rate). It can also refer to a fee for specific services or regulatory actions, for example tasas municipales (municipal charges) or tasas aduaneras (customs duties).

In legal and policy terminology, tasas are distinct from impuestos (taxes) and tarifas (tariffs), though they are often translated as “rates” or “fees” in international contexts. A tasa may be applied per unit, per transaction, or as a percentage of value, depending on the jurisdiction and the service involved. The concept is widely used in budgeting, taxation, and administrative administration to describe charges that fund public services or regulate activity.

Beyond Spanish-speaking regions, the term appears in related financial and administrative vocabularies in other languages influenced by Spanish. In some contexts, tasas serve as a practical mechanism for governments to recover costs for public services without invoking broader taxation.

See also: interest rate, inflation rate, birth rate, municipal charges, customs duties.