Álags

Álags is an Icelandic term used to denote a burden, charge, or levy that is imposed on individuals, organizations, goods, or services. In public finance and legal language it refers to a financial imposition aimed at raising revenue, correcting behavior, or funding public services. The concept covers taxes, tariffs, surcharges, and other mandatory payments that affect prices, production, or consumption.

In policy and administrative contexts, álags appear in discussions of tax policy, regulatory fees, and service charges. They can be applied to broaden the tax base, to internalize external costs, or to allocate the costs of public infrastructure and programs. The term is commonly encountered in government documents, economic analysis, and commentators when describing the financial burdens imposed by laws and regulations.

Etymology and usage notes show that álags derives from the Icelandic word álag, meaning burden or load. The form álags appears in inflected usage within Icelandic grammar. While primarily used within Icelandic-language texts, the underlying concept—an imposed financial burden or levy—is a common feature of public finance in many countries.

See also: Tax, Levy, Public finance, Regulatory fee.