1. Refers to any class of
people other than tax-avoiding corporate elites such as
GE and Exxon. In contrast to the above
definition of the phrase, this
definition acknowledges that taxes have not risen for most Americans, and especially not for record-smashing billion-dollar profit companies who shelter their earnings from taxation with off-shore subsidiaries.
It also refers to the hard work done by working class and middle class people that pays social security and income taxes to the federal government. This is the work that keeps our society functioning by paying for schools, roads, hospitals, and other basic life necessities that the free market has failed to provide in an equitable and socially responsible manner.
John: What do you think of the middle class these days?
James: It pays the taxes.
John: What do you think of the wealthiest corporations in the
world?
James: Not so much ...
--
Jane: How would you describe the labor of the
people?
Jenny: It pays the taxes.
Jane: How would you describe the capital of the elites?
Jenny: Derived from the taxes paid by the
people.