across the board

Applying to or impacting every part or individual in a group or spectrum of things. Some senior employees are unhappy that the new dress code applies to everyone across the board. The politician is expected to call for tax increases across the board.

Fig. [distributed] equally for everyone or everything. The school board raised the pay of all the teachers across the board.

including all parts of something The new law reduces taxes on products across the board, from wheat to cars to cell phones.

if something is done, happens, or exists across the board, it is done, happens, or exists in every part or area of something The company is proposing to cut spending right across the board. Even as late as September, there are still course vacancies across the board, although the majority are in sciences.

Applying to all the individuals in a group, as in They promised us an across-the-board tax cut, that is, one applying to all taxpayers, regardless of income. This expression comes from horse racing, where it refers to a bet that covers all possible ways of winning money on a race: win (first), place (second), or show (third). The board here is the notice-board on which the races and betting odds are listed. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.

So as to affect or include all people, classes, or categories: raised taxes across the board.