Whether a paid community in the cryptocurrency circle can be considered an "intelligence tax" depends on what services this paid community provides.
For example, if a paid community provides various first-hand information, tutorials, internal tools, etc., helping members gain greater value, and the benefits members receive from this paid group outweigh the membership fee, then this paid group is valuable.
If a paid group is filled with various reposted news, project advertisements, without any exclusive content, and the benefits members receive from this paid group are far less than the membership fee, then this paid group is not valuable.
The key to whether a paid community is an "intelligence tax" lies in whether the group can provide real value to its members, rather than relying on hype to collect membership fees. The best way to deal with this situation is to pay on a monthly basis or request a refund directly. Many airports that charge annual fees are prone to running away, but there is no need to worry if the payment is made monthly. If a paid community supports monthly payments or refunds, it means that you don't have to worry about regretting joining.
See what kind of value this group can provide you.
If the group has scarce resources, information flow, cooperation opportunities, and channels for sharing and communication, then paying may not be a problem.
On the contrary, if the group does not have useful information and cannot provide value to you, then paying is just being scammed~