What is the meaning of the "TAX" stamp on a ship's manifest?

Question

I found a ship's manifest record with the word "TAX" stamped on some entries, as shown below:

I am wondering what this means. Did the person have to pay duty on imported goods?

Answer 1

I believe that the person so stamped was an immigrant liable to pay the "Head Tax" upon entering the USA. The other names around him look to be returning US citizens who did not have to pay.

The stamp possibly alerted the relevant officials to which passengers needed to pay up. Of course, this would not be necessary down in steerage where almost everyone on the page would be subject to the tax.

See A Summary of the Immigration Laws of the United States from 1882.