Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'taxpayer' carries great significance in any society, as it refers to an individual or entity who contributes to the financial support of a government by paying taxes. This concept is culturally important, as it underpins the functioning of public services, infrastructure, and social security systems. Understanding the translation of 'taxpayer' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the cultural nuances and societal values of various countries.
For instance, in Spanish, a taxpayer is known as 'contribuyente,' which reflects the idea of 'contributing' to the common good. Meanwhile, in German, 'Steuerzahler' emphasizes the payment of 'taxes.' In French, 'contribuable' conveys a similar meaning, highlighting the importance of participation in funding public services.
Delving into the translations of 'taxpayer' can also uncover fascinating historical contexts. For example, in ancient Greece, 'telonai' were individuals responsible for collecting taxes, while in the Roman Empire, 'portorium' referred to taxes levied on the movement of goods. These historical precedents have shaped modern taxation systems and continue to influence our understanding of the role of taxpayers in society.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'taxpayer' in various languages, shedding light on the cultural significance and historical contexts of this crucial term.
Afrikaans | belastingbetaler | ||
The word "belastingbetaler" is derived from the Dutch word "belastingen" meaning "taxes" and "betalen" meaning "to pay". | |||
Amharic | ግብር ከፋይ | ||
The term, etymologically derived from Geez ገብር (servant), originally meant, 'state vassal'; its current use dates from Emperor Menelik II | |||
Hausa | mai biyan haraji | ||
In Hausa, the word "mai biyan haraji" is derived from the verb "biyan" meaning "to pay" and the noun "haraji" meaning "tax". It can also be used to refer to a person who is responsible for collecting taxes. | |||
Igbo | onye ụtụ isi | ||
The word "onye ụtụ isi" can be used to refer to a person who pays taxes or a person who is responsible for collecting taxes. | |||
Malagasy | mpandoa hetra | ||
"Mpandoa hetra" can also mean "bearer of a burden, a responsibility, a duty" or "a person responsible for something." | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | wokhometsa msonkho | ||
Shona | muteresi | ||
The word 'muteresi' in Shona can also refer to someone who has paid their taxes or who has the ability to pay taxes. | |||
Somali | cashuur bixiye | ||
Cashuur bixiye, meaning "taxpayer" in Somali, is derived from the Arabic word "kashaar" (to earn) and the Somali word "bixiye" (to give). | |||
Sesotho | molefalekhetho | ||
"Molefalekhetho" is also the name of the tax itself, and is used only in that context. | |||
Swahili | mlipa kodi | ||
The word 'mlipa kodi' is a compound word made up of two words: 'mlipa' (payer) and 'kodi' (tax). | |||
Xhosa | werhafu | ||
The word 'werhafu' can refer to a taxpayer, a person who collects taxes, or a tax collection point. | |||
Yoruba | asonwoori | ||
"Asonwoori" in Yoruba also means "one who is wealthy enough to be taxed." | |||
Zulu | umthelisi | ||
The word "umthelisi" can also mean "one who pays allegiance" or "one who serves as a vassal." | |||
Bambara | takasibilabaga | ||
Ewe | adzɔxela | ||
Kinyarwanda | umusoreshwa | ||
Lingala | mofuti mpako | ||
Luganda | omuwi w’omusolo | ||
Sepedi | molefela motšhelo | ||
Twi (Akan) | towtuafo | ||
Arabic | دافع الضرائب | ||
In Persian, "دافع الضرائب" literally translates to "one who wards off taxes." | |||
Hebrew | משלם המסים | ||
The word "משלם המסים" ("taxpayer") also means "one who fulfills (religious) commandments". | |||
Pashto | مالیه ورکونکی | ||
Arabic | دافع الضرائب | ||
In Persian, "دافع الضرائب" literally translates to "one who wards off taxes." |
Albanian | tatimpaguesi | ||
The word "tatimpaguesi" in Albanian has an alternate meaning of "money changer". | |||
Basque | zergaduna | ||
The original meaning of "zergaduna" was "the head of the house" | |||
Catalan | contribuent | ||
The word "contribuent" in Catalan comes from the Latin word "contribuere, | |||
Croatian | porezni obveznik | ||
The Croatian word "porezni obveznik" literally means "tax obligationist". | |||
Danish | skatteyder | ||
The Danish word "skatteyder" originally meant "tax bearer" and also referred to a feudal peasant who was required to pay taxes. | |||
Dutch | belastingbetaler | ||
The word "belastingbetaler" in Dutch literally means "burden bearer". | |||
English | taxpayer | ||
The word 'taxpayer' originally referred to someone who paid taxes to the state or municipality, but now it can also refer to someone who pays taxes to the federal government. | |||
French | contribuable | ||
The word "contribuable" in French also means "taxable". | |||
Frisian | belestingbeteller | ||
The term "belestingbeteller" in Frisian is a compound noun derived from "belesting", meaning "levies or taxes", and "beteller", meaning "payer". | |||
Galician | contribuínte | ||
The word "contribuínte" also means "contributor" or "donor". | |||
German | steuerzahler | ||
The word 'Steuerzahler' is derived from the German words 'steuer' meaning 'tax' and 'zahlen' meaning 'to pay'. | |||
Icelandic | skattgreiðandi | ||
The word "skattgreiðandi" has a more literal meaning of "tax-payer". | |||
Irish | cáiníocóir | ||
The term is a compound word made from the word | |||
Italian | contribuente | ||
"Contribuente" comes from the Latin word "contribuere", meaning "to bring together" or "to share". | |||
Luxembourgish | steierzueler | ||
The word "Steierzueler" (taxpayer) is derived from the Middle High German word "stiure" (bull), as cattle were often used to pay taxes in the Middle Ages. | |||
Maltese | kontribwent | ||
The word "kontribwent" in Maltese ultimately derives from the Latin word "contribuere", meaning "to contribute". | |||
Norwegian | skattyter | ||
"Skatter" (taxes) in Norwegian derives from "skatt" (a coin, a tribute). | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | contribuinte | ||
In Portuguese, the word "contribuinte" can also refer to a member of a group or association who makes regular payments. | |||
Scots Gaelic | neach-pàighidh chìsean | ||
This term originally meant someone who paid a fee to the king as a form of taxation, and was not necessarily a person who paid taxes in the modern sense. | |||
Spanish | contribuyente | ||
The word "contribuyente" can also refer to someone who contributes to a non-profit organization or a political cause. | |||
Swedish | skattebetalare | ||
The word 'skattebetalare' comes from the Old Norse word 'skattr', meaning 'treasure', and 'betalare', meaning 'payer'. | |||
Welsh | trethdalwr | ||
The word "trethdalwr" is derived from the Welsh words "treth" (tax) and "talwr" (payer), and literally means "tax payer". |
Belarusian | падаткаплацельшчык | ||
Bosnian | poreski obveznik | ||
The word 'poreski obveznik' is a compound that literally means 'tax obligated one'. | |||
Bulgarian | данъкоплатец | ||
The word "данъкоплатец" literally translates to "tax-payer". | |||
Czech | poplatník | ||
"Poplatník" is derived from the Czech word "poplatek," meaning a fee or a charge. | |||
Estonian | maksumaksja | ||
The word "maksumaksja" comes from the Estonian words "maksma" (to pay) and "maksja" (payer). | |||
Finnish | veronmaksaja | ||
The Finnish word "veronmaksaja" does not have any alternate meanings or interesting etymologies. | |||
Hungarian | adófizető | ||
The word "adófizető" also means "contributor" or "supporter" in Hungarian. | |||
Latvian | nodokļu maksātājs | ||
The term "nodokļu maksātājs" in Latvian is derived from the word "nodeva," meaning "tax" or "duty," and the verb "maksāt," meaning "to pay." | |||
Lithuanian | mokesčių mokėtojas | ||
The word "mokesčių mokėtojas" can also refer to someone who pays taxes or someone who is subject to taxation. | |||
Macedonian | даночен обврзник | ||
The word "даночен обврзник" in Macedonian derives from the Proto-Slavic word *dolgъ, meaning "debt" or "obligation." | |||
Polish | podatnik | ||
The word "podatnik" evolved from the word "podać" (to give), indicating that taxes were a gift of the subjects to the ruler. | |||
Romanian | contribuabil | ||
In older Romanian "contribuabil" could also refer to an associate member of a professional association. | |||
Russian | налогоплательщик | ||
The word "налогоплательщик" in Russian literally means "payer of duties" | |||
Serbian | порески обвезник | ||
The term "Порески обвезник" in Serbian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*obvezъ", meaning "duty" or "obligation". | |||
Slovak | daňovník | ||
"Daňovník" can also refer to a person who makes taxable income, a person who owes taxes, or a person who files a tax return. | |||
Slovenian | davčni zavezanec | ||
The term also refers to the person who is legally liable to pay tax. | |||
Ukrainian | платник податків | ||
The Ukrainian word "платник податків" can also refer to the tax-paying population or to an individual's tax liability. |
Bengali | করদাতা | ||
The Bengali word "করদাতা" is also used to refer to someone who pays rent, rather than just taxes. | |||
Gujarati | કરદાતા | ||
The word "કરદાતા" is derived from the Sanskrit words "कर" (tax) and "दाता" (giver), and its literal meaning is "one who gives taxes." | |||
Hindi | करदाता | ||
The Hindi word "करदाता" (taxpayer) derives from the Sanskrit words "कर" (tax) and "दाता" (giver). | |||
Kannada | ತೆರಿಗೆದಾರ | ||
ತೆರಿಗೆದಾರ is also used as a term for the person who assesses or collects taxes. | |||
Malayalam | നികുതിദായകൻ | ||
Malayalam word 'നികുതിദായകൻ' also refers to people who pay taxes on behalf of others, as part of their business. | |||
Marathi | करदाता | ||
The word "करदाता" (taxpayer) in Marathi comes from the Sanskrit word "कर्मकार" (worker) and means "one who pays taxes on their earnings or property." | |||
Nepali | करदाता | ||
The word "करदाता" is derived from the Sanskrit words "कर" (tax) and "दाता" (giver), and also means "debtor" in Nepali. | |||
Punjabi | ਟੈਕਸਦਾਤਾ | ||
The word ਟੈਕਸਦਾਤਾ is also used figuratively in Punjabi to refer to someone who is taken advantage of or exploited, often without their knowledge. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | බදු ගෙවන්නා | ||
"බදු ගෙවන්නා" (taxpayer) is not just an individual or an organisation that pays taxes; it may refer to a person or entity subject to taxation or an area or place subject to tax assessment. | |||
Tamil | வரி செலுத்துவோர் | ||
Telugu | పన్ను చెల్లింపుదారు | ||
Urdu | ٹیکس دہندہ | ||
Chinese (Simplified) | 纳税人 | ||
纳税人一词最早出现在商朝,意为“纳粟受爵”。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 納稅人 | ||
「納稅人」一詞源自於「納粟受爵」的制度,意為以穀物繳納稅賦來換取爵位。 | |||
Japanese | 納税者 | ||
The word 納税者 (nōzeisha) can also mean "contributor" in Japanese. | |||
Korean | 납세자 | ||
The word 레자(팔레)리, 레자(실꼈)리 is derived from 팔레(리이) which means 국축도 and 실꼈(리이) meaning 국축도. | |||
Mongolian | татвар төлөгч | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) | အခွန်ထမ်း | ||
The word "အခွန်ထမ်း" in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Pali word "akkhara", meaning "letter", and the Burmese word "than", meaning "to hold" or "to bear". Therefore, the word literally means "one who holds letters" and refers to a person who is responsible for reading and paying taxes. |
Indonesian | pembayar pajak | ||
"Pembayar pajak" (Indonesian for "taxpayer") literally means "one who pays taxes." | |||
Javanese | wajib pajak | ||
The Javanese word 'wajib pajak', while literally meaning 'obliged to pay', carries a nuanced connotation of a privileged status within the community | |||
Khmer | អ្នកជាប់ពន្ធ | ||
The term "អ្នកជាប់ពន្ធ" can also refer to a person who is liable for paying taxes or a person who is subject to taxation. | |||
Lao | ຜູ້ເສຍພາສີ | ||
The word ຜູ້ເສຍພາສີ (phu seua phaa-sii) literally means "person who pays taxes". It is sometimes used to refer to any person who is subject to taxation, even if they do not actually pay taxes. | |||
Malay | pembayar cukai | ||
The word "pembayar cukai" literally translates to "tax payer" in Malay and refers to individuals or entities who are obligated to pay taxes to the government. | |||
Thai | ผู้เสียภาษี | ||
In Thai, "ผู้เสียภาษี" literally translates to "a person who gives to the treasury". | |||
Vietnamese | người đóng thuế | ||
"Người đóng thuế" (taxpayer) literally means "contributor" in Vietnamese, as it can refer to anyone who provides anything to the public, such as donating money | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nagbabayad ng buwis | ||
Azerbaijani | vergi ödəyicisi | ||
The word "vergi ödəyicisi" in Azerbaijani also means "contributor" or "provider." | |||
Kazakh | салық төлеуші | ||
The word "салық төлеуші" literally means "one who pays money or goods to the state" | |||
Kyrgyz | салык төлөөчү | ||
The word "салык төлөөчү" originally meant "those who had to provide the Khan with milk from his herd as tax". | |||
Tajik | андозсупоранда | ||
Turkmen | salgyt töleýji | ||
Uzbek | soliq to'lovchi | ||
The word "soliq to'lovchi" in Uzbek derives from the Arabic word "sulh", meaning "peace", and "to'lovchi", meaning "payer". | |||
Uyghur | باج تاپشۇرغۇچى | ||
Hawaiian | ʻauhau ʻauhau | ||
ʻAuhau ʻauhau contains the doubled word ʻauhau, which means 'tax' and is also the verb 'to tax' | |||
Maori | kaiutu | ||
The word "kaiutu" in Maori, meaning "taxpayer", derives from "kai" (consume) and "utu" (payment). | |||
Samoan | lafoga | ||
In Samoan, 'lafoga' also means 'to take by force' or 'to confiscate'. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | nagbabayad ng buwis | ||
Aymara | impuesto payllañataki | ||
Guarani | contribuyente rehegua | ||
Esperanto | impostpaganto | ||
The word "impostpaganto" in Esperanto comes from the root word "imposto", meaning "tax". | |||
Latin | arpinis purgantibus | ||
The term "Arpinis purgantibus" can also be translated as "expiatory offerings" or "atonement payments" in the context of religious rituals. |
Greek | φορολογούμενος | ||
Φορολογούμενος is also the participle of the verb "φορολογώ" (I tax), as in the phrase "οι φορολογούμενοι πολίτες" (the taxed citizens). | |||
Hmong | neeg sau se | ||
"Neeg sau se" is a compound of "neeg" (person) and "sau se" (paying tax). | |||
Kurdish | bacgir | ||
The word "bacgir" in Kurdish is also used to refer to a person who pays a bribe or a protection fee. | |||
Turkish | vergi mükellefi | ||
The word "vergi mükellefi" has Persian origin. | |||
Xhosa | werhafu | ||
The word 'werhafu' can refer to a taxpayer, a person who collects taxes, or a tax collection point. | |||
Yiddish | טאַקספּייער | ||
The Yiddish word 'טאַקספּייער' is a loanword from English, and it can also refer to a 'tap', 'faucet', or 'spigot'. | |||
Zulu | umthelisi | ||
The word "umthelisi" can also mean "one who pays allegiance" or "one who serves as a vassal." | |||
Assamese | কৰদাতা | ||
Aymara | impuesto payllañataki | ||
Bhojpuri | करदाता के बा | ||
Dhivehi | ޓެކްސް ދައްކާ ފަރާތެވެ | ||
Dogri | करदाता | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | nagbabayad ng buwis | ||
Guarani | contribuyente rehegua | ||
Ilocano | agbayad iti buis | ||
Krio | pɔsin we de pe taks | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | باجدەری باج | ||
Maithili | करदाता | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯦꯛꯁꯄꯦꯌꯔꯒꯤ ꯃꯤꯑꯣꯏꯅꯤ꯫ | ||
Mizo | chhiah petu a ni | ||
Oromo | kaffalaa gibiraa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | କରଦାତା | ||
Quechua | contribuyente nisqa | ||
Sanskrit | करदाता | ||
Tatar | салым түләүчесе | ||
Tigrinya | ከፋሊ ግብሪ | ||
Tsonga | muhakeri wa xibalo | ||