缴税 means 'to pay taxes' — a formal, standard verb used in official, financial, and administrative contexts. The character 缴 (jiǎo) means 'to hand over' or 'to submit', often implying compliance with an obligation; 税 (shuì) means 'tax'. Together, 缴税 emphasizes the act of fulfilling one's legal duty to remit tax payments to government authorities. It is commonly used in written notices, tax forms, news reports, and workplace communications — not in casual daily speech.

This verb typically appears with subjects like individuals, companies, or taxpayers, and often co-occurs with time expressions (e.g., 每年, 到期前) or modal verbs (e.g., 必须, 应该). Unlike more colloquial alternatives, 缴税 carries neutral-to-formal register and implies responsibility and legality rather than choice or preference. It’s frequently paired with nouns like 所得税 (income tax), 增值税 (VAT), or 税款 (tax payment).