Luxury ___ (penalty for an N.B.A. team over a certain salary threshold)

The answer to “Luxury ___ (penalty for an N.B.A. team over a certain salary threshold)” in the New York Times Midi crossword is TAX — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on July 2, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 26-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Luxury ___ (penalty for an N.B.A. team over a certain salary threshold)” answer

TAX (3 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is TAX.

Why the answer is TAX

TAX is the 3-letter solution that fits "Luxury ___ (penalty for an N.B.A. team over a certain salary threshold)" in the NYT Midi crossword on July 2, 2026 (26-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does TAX mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of TAX is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

When else has “Luxury ___ (penalty for an N.B.A. team over a certain salary threshold)” appeared?

New York Times Midi reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

July 2, 2026 (most recent) → TAX. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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