Meaning:

    “缴” means to “pay,” “智商” means “IQ,” and “税” means “tax.” This is a humorous saying used by Chinese netizens to refer to situations where uninformed consumers pay a hefty price for things that do not suit them, they don’t need or they can’t really afford. This is as if to say: You wouldn’t pay that price if you were clever enough.

    Example:

    A: 听说现在允许在酒里加黄金了。

    Tīngshuō xiànzài yǔnxǔ zài jǐu lǐ jiā huángjīn le。

    I’ve heard that it’s now allowed to add gold into liquor.

    B: 这种酒一定卖很贵吧？买这种酒喝实在是缴智商税。

    Zhèzhǒng jǐu yīdìng mài hěn guì ba? Mǎi zhèzhǒng jǐu hē shízài shì jiǎo zhìshāngshuì。

    This kind of liquor must be really expensive. Those buying them are paying an IQ tax.

    A: 为什么？

    Wèi shénme?

    Why?

    B: 因为金不是人体需要的营养素，也没有味道，不会消化也不会发生化学反应，会原样排泄出体外。

    Yīnwèi jīn bùshì réntǐ xūyào de yíngyǎngsù, yě méiyǒu wèidào, bùhuì xiāohuà yě bùhuì fāshēng huàxué fǎnyìng, huì yuányàng páixiè chū tǐwài。

    Gold, not a necessary nutrient for the human body nor having any flavor, cannot be digested. It will not trigger any chemical reaction within the body and will be excreted unchanged.