Taxman by George Harrison (after paying British socialist tax rate of 95% as a wealthy earner)
Should five per cent appear too small
Be thankful I don’t take it all
‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah I’m the taxman
If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I’ll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I’ll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I’ll tax your feet.
Don’t ask me what I want it for
If you don’t want to pay some more
‘Cause I’m the taxman, yeah, I’m the taxman
George hit the target with those lyrics.
Fun Fact: Paul McCartney played lead guitar solos on “Taxman”
Between the royalties for the cover songs on their albums and the 95% confiscatory tax rate, I don’t think the Beatles actually made much money in their first year of fame.
They did Help! as a tax holiday.
Also I don’t know how much they made from the toys, posters, bubble gum cards, etc. Elvis was similarly marketed, one of those two acts gave the license with very little return.