Taxed

Taxed is the past participle of tax and, as an adjective, describes something that is subject to taxation or has been charged tax. In law and everyday language, taxed income, taxed goods, or a taxed transaction refer to items for which a government levies a tax.

Etymology traces the word to Old French taxe, from Latin taxare “to estimate, value,” with taxed formed by adding the standard English past participle suffix -ed to tax. The noun tax itself derives from these roots and has long been used to denote a compulsory financial charge.

In public finance, taxes are mandatory charges used to fund government activities. The term taxed arises when discussing how much burden a policy places on individuals or entities. Taxed goods or income are measured by a rate applied to a base, such as earnings, price, or property value. Tax incidence considers who ultimately bears the burden beyond the statutory rate, including consumers, producers, or workers.

Common tax forms include income tax, corporate tax, sales or value-added tax (VAT), property tax, and tariffs. Tax systems can be progressive, proportional, or regressive, and exemptions, deductions, or credits can alter the effective rate on taxed items, affecting individuals differently.

History and policy notes: taxation has ancient roots and modern income taxes became widespread in the 19th and 20th centuries. Contemporary debates focus on revenue sufficiency, equity, efficiency, and growth, with the word taxed frequently appearing in discussions of rate changes, base broadening, and exemptions.