progressive
pruh-GRES-iv
/prəˈɡresɪv/
In taxation/policy: increasing in rate as the base amount increases, designed to reduce wealth gaps; generally favoring social reform.
In taxation, progressive means rich households pay a higher percentage of their income than lower earners.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'progressivus', stepping forward. The economic term 'progressive taxation' gained prominence during late 19th-century fiscal reforms to prevent extreme inequality.
Word relationships
- graduated: Graduated describes any tax scaled in steps, whereas progressive specifies that tax rates scale upward with ability to pay.
- reformist: Reformist focuses on legal political changes, while progressive carries broader socio-economic goals.
- regressive: Regressive taxation takes a higher percentage of income from low earners than from high earners.
- flat: Flat taxation applies the exact same percentage rate to everyone regardless of income level.
Commonly confused with
- progressive vs regressive: Progressive tax rates scale up with income; regressive tax rates impose a heavier relative burden on lower incomes.
Word family
- progress (noun/verb): Forward movement or advancement towards a goal.
- progressively (adverb): Increasingly; step by step over time.
Collocations
- progressive tax
- progressive policy
- progressive taxation
- progressive movement
Example sentences
- "A progressive income tax system charges higher marginal rates to upper-income earners." Taxation policy
- "The government enacted progressive labor laws that expanded paid family leave and baseline healthcare." Socio-economic policy
Memory hook
PROGRESS-ive = moving tax rates UPWARD as income moves forward. Progressive tax steps up with higher earnings.
When not to use
Do not use progressive taxation to mean simply 'modern' or 'good' without checking if higher rates apply to higher incomes.
Fun facts
- Sales tax is considered regressive because poor families spend a larger portion of their total income on taxable goods than wealthy families.
Related words
Explore more words
proportional, equitable, distributive, egalitarian, incremental
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