A person who collects taxes or works for the government's tax authority.
Compound of tax (from Middle French taxe, from Medieval Latin taxa) and man. The term became common in the 20th century as tax systems became more complex and needed more collectors.
The Beatles' song 'The Taxman' (1966) made this word famous as a symbol of government taking your money—but historically, tax collectors were actually the most hated people in any society because they were the physical face of authority taking your earnings.
Generic use of 'man' for mixed-gender professionals. 'Taxman' emerged as standard despite tax collection being gender-neutral work; the gendered suffix normalizes male as default.
Use 'tax official,' 'tax collector,' or 'tax inspector' to avoid gendered assumptions.
["tax official","tax collector","tax inspector"]
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