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transactions tax

taxation

Written and fact-checked byThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

transactions tax, multistage sales tax imposed on all business transactions, including the exchange of tangible and intangible economic goods and financial transfers such as bank deposits. It was first adopted in its modern form by Germany in 1918 when a tax levied only on commodity transfers did not yield enough revenue. The term may also refer to a tax imposed only on the purchase or sale of securities.