avoid paying vs avoid to pay

Both "avoid paying" and "avoid to pay" are correct, but they are used in different contexts. "Avoid paying" is the more common and natural construction in English when followed by a gerund (paying). On the other hand, "avoid to pay" is less common and may sound awkward to native speakers. It is more appropriate to use the gerund form after "avoid".

Last updated: March 29, 2024 • 1575 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"avoid paying"

This phrase is used when you want to express the action of staying away from paying something.

Examples:

I always try to avoid paying full price for items.
She managed to avoid paying the fine by explaining the situation.
Avoid paying unnecessary fees by reading the terms and conditions carefully.
The company found a way to avoid paying taxes legally.
He wants to avoid paying for the repairs by doing them himself.

Show examples from the web [+]

Metromutual has sued their own policyholders to avoid paying for conventional treatments.
They are tax havens where rich people are allowed to avoid paying everything that everyone else does.
Nowadays people will go anywhere to avoid paying tax.
Black market traders used these tunnels to avoid paying taxes on goods in and out of Ma'an.
They therefore made increasing efforts to keep communications within their own network in order to avoid paying user fees to other operators.
Therefore, to change supplier in order to avoid paying duties would be costly, impossible in the short term and risky from a technological point of view.
And he owes me a great sum of money... LAUGHTER... which he hopes to avoid paying.
This is the most necessary change, bearing in mind that importers choose the method that, at any given time, allows them to avoid paying additional duties.
Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) allows companies to avoid paying VAT on goods below a certain value that are being imported into the EU.
Isn't it true that you miscode delays as weather-related to avoid paying customers a full refund?
Tax havens are locations where rich companies and individuals deposit their profits in order to avoid paying tax in their countries of origin.
So, your cunning plan to avoid paying your debts is to get yourself killed?
Not only have they enabled investors to avoid paying for their poor decisions; they have also given overpriced southern European countries the opportunity to defer real depreciation in the form of a reduction of relative prices of goods.
As regards the competitiveness of the car manufacturer industry the investigation has shown that due to the inward processing regime the car manufacturers were able to avoid paying anti-dumping duties on aluminium wheels installed in vehicles which are sold to export markets.
I would just like to point out that for many years cross-border companies took advantage of the lack of qualifications and corruption of officials in the post-Communist countries, resorting to tax and accounting fiddles to declare losses and avoid paying tax.
As long as subcontracting chains are a surreptitious way to keep wages down and avoid paying tax and social contributions, the burden will fall on the taxpayer and competing companies, most of which are small- and medium-sized enterprises.
For a long time, Scandinavian customers have been able to avoid paying the German deposit on cans by signing an 'export declaration' in border shops stating that the cans and their contents are being exported from Germany on the same day.
Well, we've all heard about what they are, I think, and we all know they're used quite a bit by people and companies who are trying to avoid paying their proper dues to society, also known as taxes.
Do we want to avoid paying now for global warming and the problems this is causing in Africa and later be faced with a destabilising country, or continent, and large groups of refugees?
Look, we can't have every whack job thinking they can secede just to avoid paying fines.

Alternatives:

refrain from paying
evade paying
dodge paying
escape paying
shun paying

This phrase is correct but less common in English.

"avoid to pay"

This phrase can be used, but it may sound awkward to native speakers. It is more appropriate to use the gerund form after "avoid".

Show examples from the web [+]

They made me fill out a lot of forms to avoid having to pay for the funeral.
A change in the Stability and Growth Pact was necessary for these two countries to avoid having to pay several billion euros in penalties for non-observance.
This will avoid any temptations to pay for 'paper fish'.
It must therefore be assumed that any German firm that is unable to prove what is has done with its waste has dumped it in Poland or the Czech Republic in order to avoid having to pay high waste-disposal costs.
Does the Commission think that this increase might be due to Iberia's habitual practice of presenting cancellations as delays, so as to avoid having to pay compensation?
The Community provisions in this field are insufficient instruments for pursuing debtors who try to avoid their obligations to pay maintenance.
When and where it is concretely feasible, depending on national healthcare invoice system ('forfait' or not, ...etc), this will avoid to patients to pay up front and to wait for being reimbursed.
What does the Council intend to do to enable individuals in Niclas's situation to move within the Union without having to pay to avoid military service?
In this regard, an effort towards reforms of tax and benefit systems should be pursued in order to make work pay and avoid any possible disincentive for labour market participation.
The fact that the German authorities argue that currently 50 % of the revenues of the excise duties is ring-fenced for infrastructure and the TRS is needed to avoid that hauliers will pay twice for the infrastructure does not prejudice to this conclusion.
We need to say a clear 'no' to any kind of social dumping and a clear 'no' to attempts to create 'letterbox companies' intended to avoid minimum standards for pay and working conditions.
Wolf & Bland believes the coroner's inquest will find in our favor, but we're willing to pay ten percent to avoid the uncertainty.
To avoid penalising women who have children, most MEPs are proposing that it be compulsory to pay them their full salary for 6 weeks after giving birth.
We will need to pay particular attention to road projects in order to avoid poor workmanship.
This is a price that we cannot continue to pay and therefore these reports are absolutely necessary to avoid further damage, decay and death in Europe.
Finally, we think it absolutely essential to pay particular attention to preventing such risks, as well as to scientific research work in order to avoid and eliminate damage.
MEPs ask Member States joining the euro to pay particular attention to consumer protection during the changeover phase, with mandatory dual pricing for a sufficiently long period of time and publicity campaigns encouraging citizens to shop around to avoid unjustified price increases.
and to avoid gender pay gaps
In order to avoid any cumulation of aid, the EFTA State will undertake in advance not to pay any rescue or restructuring aid to undertakings that are to benefit from aid in respect of stranded costs.
MEPs ask Member States joining the euro to pay particular attention to consumer protection during the changeover phase, with mandatory dual pricing for a sufficiently long period of time and publicity campaigns encouraging citizens to shop around to avoid unjustified price increases.

Alternatives:

avoid paying
refrain from paying
evade paying
dodge paying
escape paying

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avoid paying vs avoid to pay

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