poll tax

[ pohl ]

noun

1. a capitation tax, the payment of which is sometimes a prerequisite to exercise the right of suffrage.

poll tax

noun

1. a tax levied per head of adult population
2. an informal name for (the former) community charge

poll tax

1. A tax required as a qualification for voting. After the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution extended the vote to blacks in 1870, many southern states instituted poll taxes to prevent blacks from voting. The Twenty-fourth Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1964, prohibits poll taxes for federal elections.

Word History and Origins

Origin of poll tax¹

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

The role meant he was involved in introducing the poll tax in Scotland, where it was piloted a year earlier than in England and Wales.

From BBC

Ms. Hubbard, who is African American, cast her first ballot before the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned practices aimed at restricting Black Americans from voting, like poll taxes and literacy tests.

From New York Times

A Labour leader heaping any sort of praise on a prime minister who introduced the poll tax and took on the miners is a hard sell for party figures north of the border.

From BBC

White leaders of both parties used numerous tactics over several decades to suppress the Black vote, from poll taxes to literacy tests.

From Seattle Times

“It’s a poll tax. It’s a tax on exercising a constitutional right,” said Chuck Michel, president of the California Rifle and Pistol Association, who opposes the tax.

From Seattle Times