Earmark may refer to: *

Earmark (agriculture) An earmark is a cut or mark in the ear of livestock animals such as cattle, deer, pigs, goats, camels or sheep, made to show ownership, year of birth or sex. The term dates to the 16th century in England. The practice existed in the Near East u ...

, cuts or marks in the ears of animals made to show ownership *

Earmark (politics) An earmark is a provision inserted into a discretionary spending appropriations bill that directs funds to a specific recipient while circumventing the merit-based or competitive funds allocation process. Earmarks feature in United States Congres ...

, a legislative provision that directs funds to be spent on specific projects *

Earmark (finance) The hypothecation of a tax (also known as the ring-fencing or earmarking of a tax) is the dedication of the revenue from a specific tax for a particular expenditure purpose. This approach differs from the classical method according to which all g ...

, a requirement that a source of revenue be devoted to a specific public expenditure

See also