CAPITAL GAINS TAX

A kind of tax levied on capital gains obtained by corporations and individuals. Capital gains are the earnings that an investor realizes when he or she merchandises the capital asset for a value that is greater than the purchase amount.

Capital gains taxes are only activated when an asset is realized, not while it is possessed by an investor. An investor can own shares that increase annually, but the investor does not trigger a capital gains tax on the shares until they are merchandised.