What term describes any tax imposed for general governmental purposes?

The term that describes any tax imposed for general governmental purposes is referred to as a "General Tax." General taxes are levied to fund various public services and governmental operations that benefit the community at large, such as education, police and fire services, infrastructure maintenance, and other essential services provided by local, state, or federal governments.

In contrast, the other terms refer to more specific types of taxes. A special sales tax is generally applied to specific goods or services to fund particular projects, whereas an ad valorem tax is assessed based on the value of property, typically used for property taxes. A mill levy, on the other hand, is a way of expressing property tax rates and is typically used to indicate the amount of tax per thousand dollars of property value for a specific taxing district or authority. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify how different tax types serve various funding purposes within governmental operations.