Idea 1of 23
A tax pays for shared things
Nobody pays at the park gate. So who pays for the park?
Today you'll discover
- what a tax is
- who pays taxes
- what taxes pay for
Think firstMaple Town has fire trucks, roads and parks
Nobody buys a ticket to walk into the park. So who pays for it?
Decide first, then press Next. Follow the money from the left to the right.
Two boxes on the left: families pay $30 million of property tax and businesses pay $20 million. Arrows carry the money into a building in the middle, Maple Town, where it adds up to $50 million of revenue. Arrows then fan out to six boxes on the right: fire service, police, local roads, parks, garbage pickup and library. The last step shows the Ontario government.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
A tax is money people and businesses must pay a government, to pay for things everyone shares.
Shared thingsRoads, parks, fire halls, schools and hospitals. Nobody pays at the door, but each one costs money every year to run.
Easy to get wrongA tax is not a price. You do not get one thing back for it; it pays for things the whole community uses.
Key word
- tax
- money that people and businesses must pay to a government, by law, to pay for things everyone shares
Ready to use it?
- Tell what a tax is and who pays it.
- Name things that taxes pay for.