Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - ratepayer

(ratepayers) 1. In Britain, a ratepayer was a person who owned or rented property and therefore had to pay local taxes called rates. The citizens of a district are sometimes still called the ratepayers when their interests and the use of local taxes are being considered. N-COUNT 2. In the United States, a ratepayer is a person whose property is served by an electricity, water, or telephone company, and who pays for these services. N-COUNT