“Levy” usually means a type of tax or official charge that an authority requires you to pay, and it can also mean the act of imposing or collecting that tax or charge.

Basic meaning

  • As a noun , a levy is a charge such as a tax, fee, or fine that must be paid to a government or other authority.
  • As a verb , to levy means “to impose or collect” a tax, fine, or other payment using legal or official power (for example, “to levy a tax on imports”).

In law and government

  • In legal contexts, a levy can also mean the official seizure and sale of someone’s property to satisfy a debt or court judgment.
  • Tax agencies may “levy” bank accounts or wages, meaning they legally take money or property to recover unpaid taxes or debts.

Everyday examples

  • “The government introduced a new levy on sugary drinks” means a new tax on those drinks.
  • “They levied a fine on the company” means an authority officially imposed a financial penalty on that company.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.