poll tax
[ pohl ]
/ poʊl /
noun
a capitation tax, the payment of which is sometimes a prerequisite to exercise the right of suffrage.
Also called
head tax.
Origin of poll tax
First recorded in 1685–95
Words nearby poll tax
polka dot,
poll,
poll end,
poll evil,
poll parrot,
poll tax,
poll watcher,
pollack,
pollaiuolo,
pollakiuria,
pollan
Example sentences from the Web for poll tax
British Dictionary definitions for poll tax
poll tax
noun
a tax levied per head of adult population
an informal name for (the former) community charge
Cultural definitions for poll tax
poll tax
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.